Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants
by BlackMythicKnight
Summary: Maleficent has been defeated by Mal and her friends. But with a giant hole in the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, the forces of darkness are slowly returning to wreak havoc on the world. To combat this threat, five teenagers must wield the powers of the Ancestral Knights from whom they descend. They are…the Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants! Mal/Ben Descendants/Power Rangers
1. Chapter 00: Prologue

Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or Power Rangers! Descendants belongs to Disney. As for Power Rangers, ownership of the series has changed so many times over the years that I'm not sure who owns it exactly! Meh…the point is that I don't own them._**

Prologue: Plans for Revenge

The people on the Isle of the Lost were ruled by fear. Those who had power (or used to have it, anyway) used it to dominate their children and the weaker villains, forcing them to do their bidding and be evil. Not only did this satisfy their hunger for power and control, but it also discouraged any of the new generation from entertaining thoughts of wretched 'do-gooding.' Even those few villains who had actually seen the error of their ways and wanted to encourage their children to be good refrained from doing so out of fear of invoking the wrath of a more superior villain.

For the most part, this "more superior villain" was Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil and supreme leader of the Isle of the Lost. Even though she herself was apparently just as powerless as the lesser villains were, the greatest villainess of all time still had her hordes of minions. These insanely mighty (and equally stupid) goblins were no where near smart enough to realize that without her powers, their mistress was weaker than they were and they could therefore overpower her by sheer numbers. Because of this, Maleficent's minions allowed her to maintain supreme control over the island and ensure that all of those under her would not abandon their evil ways.

Under this logic, when news of Maleficent's defeat at the hands of her own daughter reached the Isle of the Lost, its inhabitants should have rejoiced in their newly-acquired freedom from her tyrannical rule. Any attempts at celebration were put on hold, however, out of fear for the Mistress of All Evil's three advisors and the other three members of the Evilest Four–Queen Grimhilde, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil.

While the people of the Isle did not fear these three villains as much as they did Maleficent, they still feared them enough that they dare not invoke their wrath–which would be pretty easy to do at the moment, considering how livid the three members of the Evilest Four were at their children's betrayal.

"I cannot believe that little ingrate Carlos!" Cruella sneered as she slammed her mug of Black-Like-Your-Soul coffee on the table. "I spent all those years raising the brat, festering his fear and dislike for dogs so that he can carry on my legacy, and he goes and throws it all out the window!"

"I hear that, sister," Jafar growled, taking a sip of his sour-milk latte. "I'm disgusted with my son, too. Jay stocked the shelves of my shop for years by pilfering merchandise from the pockets of unsuspecting fools, so stealing that wand should have been a snap for him. Instead, not only does he fail to acquire the wand, but he even helps to stop Maleficent from stealing the wand herself."

"And let's not forget my runt, Evie," Queen Grimhilde snarled. "My little villainess-in-training was supposed to find a prince to seduce with her feminine beauty and then marry so that I could regain my proper royal status, and yet I saw her looking quite chummy with that half-dwarf brat–no doubt one of the disgusting offspring of Snow White's seven dwarfs."

"It appears that all of our children have turned out to be complete disgraces," Cruella sighed. "We should never have agreed to let them go to Auradon, or at least waited a few more months to make sure that their hearts were truly stone cold."

"For once, you're making sense," Grimhilde smirked. "I agree that we should have made sure that our brats were evil enough to resist that goody two-shoes Fairy Godmother's influence, but Maleficent insisted on us sending them immediately."

"Humph…Maleficent!" Jafar sneered. "It all goes back to her. If she hadn't insisted on disrupting the rest of our plans for the sake of her own, none of us would be in this mess! It serves her right to have fallen at her own brat's hand."

"But what are we going to do now?" Cruella wondered aloud. "If Mal was powerful enough to defeat her mother–the most powerful villainess of all time, _and_ who was holding both her staff and the Fairy Godmother's wand–then we don't stand a chance against her."

"If only we had Maleficent's staff," the Evil Queen pondered aloud. "If _we_ held that damn thing instead of her, we could surely use it far better than she ever could."

"Fat chance of that happening," Jafar snorted. "Maleficent took her staff with her when she went to Auradon, so it's _way_ out of our reach now. The only way we could get it now was if it was sent to us from the outside, and I highly doubt that the Fairy Godmother would let such a powerful magical artifact out of her sight."

Their plotting was cut short by the sound of a sharp knocking on the door. "Whoever is interrupting us with their foolish needs will rue this day!" Grimhilde roared as she stomped over to the door and swung it wide open. "Listen here, bub, I-"

"Package for the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil," the delivery man from Auradon said monotonously as he presented a long, thin package, not giving any indication of having heard the Evil Queen's rant. "Sign here, please."

"Ugh! Fine!" Grimhilde growled as she scribbled her signature on the clipboard and snatched the package out of his hands, all the while hiding her elation after recognizing the shape of the package. "Now get out of here!"

She slammed the door in the delivery man's face and rushed back to the table. The other two villains' eyes widened, also recognizing the size and shape of the package. "Is that-?" Cruella gasped.

"Let's see," Grimhilde replied as she ripped the brown wrapping paper apart, revealing Maleficent's dark wood staff with the evil-green Dragon Eye as its ornament in all of its malicious glory.

The three villains cheered in glee. "This is it!" Jafar exclaimed. "With Maleficent's staff, we can succeed where she failed."

"We'll have our vengeance against all who wronged us, including our children!" Cruella agreed.

"Enough!" Grimhilde snapped, bringing their impromptu celebration to a close. "If we are to use this thing to its fullest potential, we must read up on everything there is to know about Maleficent and her dark powers."

"The only place with that kind of knowledge is Maleficent's old place, the Forbidden Fortress, on the Island of the Doomed," Jafar frowned. "It's too dangerous for us to go there ourselves; that's why we sent our children to retrieve this staff for us."

"So?" Cruella shrugged. "Just send some of the minions to bring all of those books here."

"I have a better idea," Grimhilde said with a smirk as she walked over to Maleficent's fridge/safe and opened up the main compartment. She reached in and pulled out a giant, leather book that was partially frozen.

Jafar raised an eyebrow. "I thought Maleficent gave Mal her spell book," he said. "So what's that thing?"

Grimhilde snorted. "Do you _honestly_ think that Maleficent would give her daughter her _actual_ spell book?" She asked rhetorically. "All she gave Mal was a small journal that she copied down just a few of her spells into. _This_ ," she plopped the massive spell book onto the table, which creaked under the book's great weight. "Is Maleficent's real spell book."

The Evil Queen flipped open the front cover and skimmed through it until she found the first page with a spell on it. "Here we go," she said as she silently read the spell's description. Once she had a firm understanding as to what this spell required, she said, "Have the minions retrieve Tick-Tock the Crocodile. It'll make a great guinea pig to test this spell on."

"What does it do?" Jafar asked, curious.

The Evil Queen shot him an evil smirk. "Oh, you'll see," she chuckled evilly as she bookmarked the page. "Soon, our traitorous offspring and the Auradonians will feel the wrath of the Evilest Three! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

* * *

 _Mal's eyes gradually opened as she found herself floating amongst the clouds. She was still in her lavender nightdress, leading her to believe that she was dreaming. Yet, the feeling of the cold breeze beating against her skin and the heat of the sun's rays splashing against the back of her neck felt so realistic. It was almost like those romantic dreams that she shared with Ben, once upon a time._

 _Mal was drawn out of her musings by the sound of clashing steel and roaring cries down below. She looked down, wondering what was making that noise below the clouds, and as if in response, her body descended and broke through the fluffy white masses._

 _There was a massive battle between two armies in progress. One side was made predominantly of humans donned in the armor of medieval knights, while the other side was made up of ogres, goblins, and other various monsters. Mal's gaze shifted to the back of the monster army, wondering who it was that was leading this army. She gasped in shock as she realized that the general was-_

 _"Mother?!" She gasped. "How can this be?"_

 _"Destroy them all!" The Maleficent look-a-like shouted. "Long Live Evil!"_

 _The monsters charged forward, laying waste to all who stood in their path. Mal wanted to look away, unable to handle the sight of the forces of goodness being decimated by the forces of evil. But she couldn't–she couldn't look away from the carnage before her._

 _"Stop!" A powerful, male voice shouted as the forces of evil were repelled by a wave of powerful red magic, saving the last remaining forces of goodness from destruction._

 _Mal turned her gaze and gasped in shock again, recognizing the general of the forces of goodness. "Ben?!"_

 _"So," Maleficent chuckled. "The Red Knight wishes to fall first, rather than prolong the inevitable by watching the rest of his men fall to the forces of evil."_

 _"Thou shalt go no further, Malevolence!" The Red Knight declared as four other warriors came forward from behind him. "My comrades and I shall defeat thee and banish thee to the hole from whence thou came."_

 _"Please!" 'Malevolence' snorted. "Five warriors, against my entire army of minions? Don't make me laugh!"_

 _"Thy reign of terror shall end here, Mother!" Called out the purple-clad female warrior standing at the Red Knight's side–who looked suspiciously like Mal herself. "So sweareth the five Ancestral Knights!"_

 _"Don't think I've forgotten about thee, my treacherous daughter," Malevolence growled. "Once I've destroyed thy little friends, thou shalt face my wrath in its entirety!"_

 _"We'll see about that!" The Red Knight said as he raised his sword into the air, his comrades raising their own unique weapons as well. Each weapon began to glow in a magical aura, each of a different color–red, purple, blue, yellow, and pink._

 _ **"The strength of evil is good as none,"**_ _the five warriors chanted as the glow of their weapons grew brighter._ _ **"Which stands before five hearts as one!"**_

 _"No!" Malevolence cried out as a swirling vortex of multicolored light opened up beneath her feet, dragging her and her minions into its spiraling depths._

 _"Tis over, Malevolence!" The Red Knight said. "Begone, and never return to harm our people ever again!"_

 _"This isn't over!" Malevolence swore as she fell deeper and deeper into the vortex's depths. "I'll return someday, and when I do, the forces of light shall fall and the forces of evil shall rise to consume all! So sweareth Malevolence, the Supreme Mistress of All Evil!"_

 _With those final words, Malevolence was completely engulfed by the vortex before it completely closed up, forever trapping her and her dark army wherever it was that they were sent to._

* * *

Mal's eyes shot open, finding herself lying safely in her dorm room, much to her relief. Being careful not to awaken her best friend, Evie, from her beauty sleep, Mal slipped out of bed and stepped out onto their shared balcony. Gazing up at the starry night sky, the daughter of Maleficent pondered the dream she had just had.

 _Was all of that…a dream?_ She wondered. _It felt so real, like that battle was actually happening. Was it some kind of premonition?_

Mal shook her head, sending those thoughts to the back of her mind. Even if her dream was true, it couldn't possibly be of the future. She had just turned Maleficent into a lizard the size of the love in her heart less than 24 hours ago, and the only way for her mother to return to normal was if she learned to love. Either way, the dream couldn't _possibly_ be an event of the future.

Now somewhat relieved, Mal walked back into her dorm room and closed the balcony doors behind her, anxious to get some sleep.

~~~~Fairy Godmother's Office~~~~

The Fairy Godmother was up late tonight, trying to get through the mountains upon mountains of paperwork that had been laid upon her due to Maleficent's return during King Ben's coronation. Normally, the task of handling all of these documents and forms would have been delegated to the new king, but with Maleficent involved, the Headmistress of Auradon Prep had insisted on handling all of the paperwork herself. After all, there was no one else in all of Auradon (except perhaps Mal) that knew the Mistress of All Evil better than she…

The Fairy Godmother shook her head, pushing her thoughts of past memories to the side for later. She still had a lot to do after she finished all of this paperwork. _I just hope that I'll be able to hold my wand straight enough to fix that hole in the barrier after signing all of these forms,_ she chuckled to herself.

In the midst of their celebrating both the coronation of their new king and the defeat of Maleficent, the people of Auradon had overlooked one crucial detail. The fact that Maleficent was able to even leave the Isle of the Lost meant that there was now a gaping hole in the magical barrier. The hole's creation was most likely created by accident during Jane's little…episode involving her mother's wand. The Fairy Godmother didn't blame her daughter _completely_ , of course–even if Mal hadn't confessed her part in Jane's actions, it took a very powerful and _experienced_ fairy to even _hold_ the wand, much less use it.

That Mal had been able to do so herself spoke volumes about her magical potential, especially since she couldn't have more than a month's worth of experience using it. While this had her fellow members of the Council of Good Fairies–Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather–worried about what that could mean in the future if the daughter of Maleficent decided to follow in her mother's footsteps, the Fairy Godmother couldn't help but feel proud of the child. Still, this meant that she would have to start the young half-fairy's magical training sooner rather than later…

The Fairy Godmother was snapped out of her musings by the sound of intense rattling coming from behind her. Surprised, she got up from her desk and walked over to the large, wooden cabinet behind her and opened it up. As soon as she did, the good fairy was bathed in multi-colored light emitted by the five items that she kept in it.

Though amazed by this development, the Fairy Godmother was also worried. The fact that these five objects had chosen this moment to awaken could only mean that the powers they held within would soon be needed. Magically summoning her ever-trusty wand to her hand, the Fairy Godmother waved it over the five items and incanted:

 ** _"Powers of the Five who guard the Light, show me now who will fight the good Fight."_**

A small orb of light rose from each of the five items and took the doll-sized form of the five individuals that they had chosen. The Fairy Godmother smiled as she canceled the spell and closed the cabinet doors. _If those five are the chosen ones, then the future of Auradon is in good hands,_ she thought confidently as she returned to the work on her desk. The Headmistress now had even more incentive to finish this paperwork as soon as possible: not only did she have to fix the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, but now she also had to prepare for the meeting that she would have to have the next day with five of her students.

 _ **A/N: Edit 12/10/15: Changed the dialogue in Mal's dream a bit so that it sounds more medieval.**_


	2. 01:Powers Descend, Rangers Defend! Part1

Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or Power Rangers! Descendants belongs to Disney. As for Power Rangers, ownership of the series has been returned to Saban (though for how long is anyone's guess). Meh…the point is that I don't own them.**

Chapter 01: Powers Descend, Rangers Defend! (Part I)

~~~~The Next Day, The Isle of the Lost~~~~

"As you–as you REQUESTED–m-a'am," one of Maleficent's goblin minions said as he and four others struggled to restrain the massive crocodile that was furious, having being forcefully removed from the small cove on the uninhabited end of the Isle that it called home. "We have BROUGHT y-you Tick-Tock the Crocodile."

"Finally!" Queen Grimhilde snapped. "What the hell took you imbeciles so long?"

"As you–ugh!–can see, m'lady," another of the minions said. "The beast is be-ING!…quite uncooperative."

"Why exactly do we need this monstrosity, Grimhilde?" Jafar asked. "Can't we use something more…controllable than Tick-Tock?"

"Oh, I think it will be _quite_ controllable once I'm done with it," the Evil Queen smirked as she opened Maleficent's spell book and raised her scepter. She then chanted:

 **"Spirit of Evil, hear my call;**

 **Arise from your ashes and become my thrall!**

 **Possess this body and make it your own,**

 **And serve your mistress as she reclaims her throne!"**

The Dragon's Eye began to glow with evil-green light as similarly-colored smoke rose from the ground and enveloped the crocodile. The giant reptile roared in pain as the smoke sank into its scaly body, taking it over and transforming it. Once the smoke was completely gone, Tick-Tock the Crocodile was no more. In the massive, green-scaled beast's place was a larger, two-legged creature that was equally green and scaly, but so much more powerful. It had the head of a crocodile with glowing red eyes and acid drool dripping from its giant, toothy mouth. Its arms and legs had massive muscles that looked like they could crush an armored tank. Green spikes protruded from its scaly hide, down its spine and all the way to the tip of its tail.

"How may I serve you, my mistress?" The transformed Tick-Tock asked as he kneeled before the Evil Queen. "I, Crocokiller, will do as you command."

Grimhilde's evil smile grew wider. "Take a squadron of minions to Auradon and spread chaos and panic to its people," she commanded.

"As you wish," Crocokiller replied as it stalked away to do its mistress' bidding.

Once the creature had left, Jafar and Cruella turned to their fellow evil-doer. "W-what was that thing?" Cruella asked with a hint of fear.

Grimhilde chuckled. "The spell that I took from Maleficent's spell book was a summoning ritual," she explained. "It called forth an evil spirit from the great beyond and infused it into Tick-Tock the Crocodile, transforming it and making it stronger, while at the same time putting it under my control. Crocokiller will now do as I say and wreak havoc upon the people of Auradon, reminding them of why they fear our power!"

"But how do you know that Crocokiller will follow your orders?" Jafar asked.

"So long as I hold Maleficent's staff, the forces of darkness are mine to command," Grimhilde replied. "Therefore, the creatures that I create with it will obey me."

Evil smirks appeared on Cruella and Jafar's faces. "With an army of powerful monsters at our disposal, not even the Fairy Godmother can stop us," Cruella realized.

"And if the Fairy Godmother can't stop us, then no one in Auradon can!" Jafar added.

"Exactly!" Grimhilde nodded. "Soon, the people of Auradon will know the strength of evil and once again cower before us, and _nothing_ can stand in our way! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

* * *

~~~~Auradon Prep, After Class~~~~

"Good afternoon, Benny-boo," Mal said teasingly as she leaned against her locker.

The new king of Auradon turned and gave his girlfriend a look of playful annoyance. "You know, it couldn't be _that_ hard to come up with your own pet name for me and not use the one that Audrey made up," he pointed out.

"But then I wouldn't be able to get under your skin," Mal smirked as she opened up her locker and put away her textbooks.

"Oh, I'm sure you can think of lots of other ways to tease me," Ben chuckled. "Just as I can think of lots of ways to tease you."

"Name one," Mal challenged.

Ben smirked as he closed the gap between them and looked into his girlfriend's eyes. Mal could feel her heart starting to beat faster and her pale cheeks start to heat up from the close proximity. She could feel the soft breeze created from Ben's exhales brush against her purple hair. Unbidden, memories of their shared dreams from their childhood raced to the front of her mind as she relaxed herself in her boyfriend's arms.

"Bertha," Ben suddenly said, destroying Mal's fantasy as if by magic.

Mal stepped back and shot the young king a mock-glare as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "You know, I'm starting to regret telling you that," she said.

Ben smirked as he inwardly started to dance in celebration, having successfully defeated his girlfriend in their game of wits.

 **Score: Mal - 17; Ben - 1**

"…Florian."

 **Score: Mal - 17; Ben - 0**

And the dance was cut short. However, Ben still had one ace left up his sleeve. "Hmph," he said in mock-annoyance. "You know, I was thinking of taking you to this place I know after class, but if you're going to continue making fun of me…"

"Yes?" Mal raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"…well, maybe Audrey is available," Ben said casually.

Mal knew what her boyfriend was doing, and was amused by his naivety. Still, she found it cute that he thought he could one-up her. "Oh, really?" She smirked, then sighed. "Well then, I guess that I'll have to find someone else to share these–" she pointed to her lips. "–with."

The tone of Mal's voice sounded so serious that, in that moment, Ben actually believed that she would go through with it. "Wait! I'm sorry, I–" he stopped when he realized that Mal had started laughing. "Damn it! You got me again!"

 **Score: Mal - 18; Ben - 0**

"Don't feel bad, Benny-boo," Mal said as she patted him comfortingly on the back. "After all, I was at the top of my AP Sneakiness & Trickery class back at Dragon Hall."

"Why am I not surprised?" Ben shook his head in amusement. "Anyway, you up for that date?"

"You mean you were actually being serious?" Mal raised an eyebrow. Ben nodded. "But don't you have kingly duties that need attending to?"

"Actually, while I am now officially the king, my father will continue to handle the day-to-day running of the kingdom until I graduate," Ben explained. "So, you coming?"

"You really have to ask?" Mal smiled as she slammed her locker shut.

"No, but it's the _nice_ thing to do," Ben remarked, then immediately started running to give himself a head start.

"Why, you-!" Mal laughed as she ran off in pursuit of her fleeing boyfriend.

~~~~Fairy Godmother's Office~~~~

"So, why do you think we were called to the Headmistress' office?" Asked one of the three students sitting in the waiting room. "I mean, we haven't done anything wrong, have we?"

"Not that I know of," another of the three students replied. She turned to the third. "Do you know why your mother called us here, Jane?"

Jane shook her head. "If it were just me, I would think that this was about my little…incident a few days ago," she said as she slightly bowed her head in shame. "But since all three of us are here, maybe it's something else."

"Come in, children," the Fairy Godmother said from behind her closed door. The three students rose from their seats and entered the room, each of them sitting down in one of the five chairs that had been set up in front of the Fairy Godmother's desk.

Fairy Godmother frowned upon noticing something. "Mal and King Ben wouldn't happen to still be out here, would they?" She asked.

The second student shook her head. "I heard Ben say earlier that he was planning on taking Mal on a date to the Enchanted Lake after school. Maybe they already left."

Fairy Godmother's eyes widened in worry. Without a word, she stood up and walked over to the map of Auradon that was mounted and framed on her wall, summoning her wand as she did so.

"Is something wrong, Mom?" Jane asked as she and her classmates looked at her in confusion.

 **"Map of Auradon on the wall, point to where trouble may fall!"** Fairy Godmother said as she tapped her wand to the map. A sickly-green dot of light appeared on the map, close to the Enchanted Lake and gradually getting closer.

"Oh no!" Fairy Godmother shouted, startling the three students with her sudden loudness. "We need to get to those two soon before it's too late!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Jane asked again.

"King Ben and Mal are both in terrible danger!" Fairy Godmother replied.

* * *

~~~~Enchanted Lake~~~~

"We're in terrible danger!" Ben cried. "…of these delicious strawberries, that is."

Mal laughed. "That was real corny, you know that?" She said.

"Come on," Ben smirked as he held a chocolate-covered strawberry up to his girlfriend's mouth. "You know you like it."

"Just feed me the strawberry," she snapped, though the smile on her face told Ben that she was just joking.

"As you wish, m'lady," he replied jokingly as he slipped the strawberry into her mouth.

Mal bit into the small, chocolate-coated fruit. "Mmm…" she moaned, savoring the mouth-watering sweetness of the delectable treat. "Thish ish' sho dam' gud!"

Ben chuckled at Mal's lack of refinement that allowed her to speak with food in her mouth without so much as blinking an eye. After spending most of his life surrounded by princes and princesses who were always so posh and well-mannered, Mal's brutal honesty and blunt attitude was actually quite refreshing. It was one of the many things that Ben loved about her.

"So," Mal said after she gulped down the strawberry's remains and laid down on their picnic blanket. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but is there a reason why you've brought me to the same place two dates in a row? I mean, I've never dated anyone before, but I would think that even Auradonian girls would get bored of the same thing over and over."

"I just figured that it would be nice for us to have a few dates to ourselves, before we have to share them with the paparazzi," Ben replied.

Mal nodded, getting what her boyfriend meant. "I guess Maleficent crashing your coronation then being defeated by her own daughter _would_ be major news," she sighed.

"Not to mention you and the others publicly choosing to be good," Ben added. "I mean, you guys are living proof that the children of villains aren't necessarily villains themselves!"

Mal snorted. "Yeah…I doubt most people see it that way," she replied.

Ben frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Your actions were broadcasted live on national TV. I'm sure that was proof enough for the citizens of Auradon."

"You're right, my actions were broadcasted lived on national TV," Mal conceded. "But that's part of the problem."

"Okay, you've lost me," Ben said.

" _All_ of my actions, Ben," Mal elaborated as she sat up. "Or don't you remember the part where I almost went through with my mother's plan to deliver the Fairy Godmother's wand to her? I'm pretty sure that the rest of the nation does!"

"But you didn't," Ben pointed out.

"But it was close," Mal said, exasperated. "I mean _really_ close. I was about to sell out all of Auradon and doom you and the entire kingdom to virtual annihilation just to receive my mother's approval!"

"Then what made you change your mind?" Ben asked.

"You," Mal replied as she looked directly into her boyfriend's eyes. "Up until that moment, I thought that I didn't have any choice in how I lived my life. I thought I was cursed to go through life in the shadow of my mother. I thought I was bound to the destiny that my mother had set out for me the day she gave me the name, 'Mal.'

"But then you said–and I quote–" Mal continued, raising her fingers and making air quotes. "'Your parents made their choice. Now you make yours.' I almost didn't believe you. I thought you were just saying that to get me to hand over the wand…but then I looked into your eyes, and I saw the sincerity and belief in them. I realized that you truly believed that anything was possible–even the children of the four worst villains ever becoming good. I couldn't bring myself to destroy that belief, no matter how much I wanted my mother's approval, so I did the only thing I could–I chose good."

The smile on Ben's face was so wide that it couldn't possibly get any wider. "And just when I thought I couldn't love you anymore," he said. "And I know how corny that sounded, but it's true."

Mal smiled. "You know I like it," she replied as she snuggled up against her boyfriend and closed her eyes, basking in his warmth. For that moment, all of their troubles seemed to vanish, leaving the king of Auradon and the daughter of Maleficent alone in their own little world.

"Aww…how sickeningly sweet," a deep, growling voice said mockingly.

The sudden voice startled them out of their daydream. Ben and Mal turned and found themselves face-to-face with a giant, green, scaly monster with the head of a crocodile.

"Who the hell are you?" Mal demanded as she and Ben leapt to their feet and took defensive stances.

"Oh, I'm hurt!" the monster said sarcastically, feigning a hurt expression (at least, that's what they thought–it had a crocodile's head, after all). "I thought for sure that _you_ , of all people, would recognize me, Mal. Don't you remember all of the fun times we had when you were just a little hatchling? You should, seeing as how you were the only one with enough guts to climb on my back."

Mal's eyes widened in recognition. "It can't be…" she said softly as she shook her head slightly in disbelief. "Tick-Tock?"

"You mean as in Tick-Tock the _Crocodile_?" Ben asked, to which Mal nodded. He stared at his girlfriend in shock and disbelief. "You mean to tell me that you climbed on the back of the most feared reptile ever when you were little, _and you survived_?!"

"Now is not the time, Ben," Mal snapped impatiently, before turning her attention to her childhood (dare she say it?) playmate. "What happened to you, Tick-Tock?"

"I'm glad you asked, Mal," the transformed Tick-Tock said. "And it's all thanks to one of the spells in your mother's spell book. Queen Grimhilde used this spell to resurrect an ancient evil spirit and infuse its power into my body, thus giving me my new form that you see before you. I am no longer Tick-Tock; I am now Crocokiller!"

"Okay, two questions come to mind," Mal responded. "First, how did Grimhilde get a hold of my spell book when it's here in Auradon? Second, how was she able to even use magic, seeing as how she doesn't have any magical powers of her own _and_ she's currently on the Isle of the Lost?"

"I see no need to answer your questions, seeing as how I'm about to kill both you and your boyfriend," Crocokiller sneered.

"Oh, yeah?" Ben challenged. "You and what army?"

Mal wanted to slap her boyfriend for his stupidity, but settled for verbally scolding him. "You idiot!" She exclaimed. "Don't you know that you should _never_ ask that?!"

"She's right," Crocokiller said with a verbal smirk as it gestured for its reinforcements to come out of their hiding places. Mal was shocked to see ten of her mother's old minions surrounding them.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Ben whispered as he and Mal put their backs against one another to cover all of their blind spots. "But don't these guys work for your mother?"

"They do," Mal nodded in affirmation. "What confuses me is that they seem to be following Grimhilde's orders."

"So, any ideas on how to get rid of them?" Ben asked.

"Just fight them and try not to die," Mal advised.

"That doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence," Ben said, before a thought came to him. "Wait, can't you just tell them not to fight us? I mean, they work for Maleficent, so it would make sense that they would do as her daughter says, right?"

"It's more complicated than that," Mal replied. "Yes, my mother left them with standing orders to obey my every command to the letter unless they contradict her own, but they only listened to her because they were afraid of her. Now that she's a tiny-sized lizard, I'm not sure how much they still fear her. What's more, they seem to now be taking orders from Grimhilde, so they may recognize _her_ as their new boss."

"Okay, so just telling them not to attack us is out of the question," Ben sighed. "What are their weaknesses then?"

Before Mal could reply, Crocokiller roared, "Enough stalling! Minions, attack!" With mighty battle cries, the minions charged the two teenagers, who immediately put up a defensive.

As a member of the Royal Family of Auradon and the heir to the throne, King Beast and Queen Belle had arranged for Ben to be personally trained by the best martial arts experts in the kingdom so that he could protect himself. Fa Mulan and Li Shang had run the young prince into the ground with their training methods. Ben often left their training sessions barely able to make it all of the way out of the dojo, much less all of the way to his room. He got bruises and broken ribs so often that the Fairy Godmother would frequently use the task of healing him as a regular workout to keep her magical abilities in top shape. His pride was equally beaten up whenever Mulan and Shang had him and Lonnie spar. His instructors were so merciless that there were times that Ben pondered banishing them to the Isle of the Lost, they were so cruel. At the end of his formal training, Ben only had one thing to say to his teachers/torturers.

Thank you. While merciless, Mulan and Shang had succeeded in making the future ruler of Auradon into a fierce fighting machine who could more than take care of himself.

In Mal's case, learning how to defend herself was a necessity for those living on the Isle of the Lost. It was a dog-eat-dog on the island prison of the worst villains of all time. You had to learn how to fight at an early age, or else you were as good as expired bologna in the other kids' lunches. There was a reason why most people on the Isle feared her, and it wasn't just because her mother was their leader. Mal was just as capable as fighting as Ben was.

Both Ben and Mal were seasoned and skilled fighters in their own right. However, there are some things that just cannot be overcome. Not only were they outnumbered five to one, but their opponents were all wearing thick armor and wielding some pretty big weapons–swords, axes, and maces, to name a few. Even if the goblins weren't armed to the teeth, however, they were all still big, strong, and thick-skinned, thus making it difficult to land a damaging blow.

Making the best out of their situation, the two teenagers each took five of their adversaries. As the first minion came at him, Ben dodged the giant axe blade and threw his weight against the off-balanced opponent. The goblin fell into another of his comrades, sending them both to the ground. He then ducked under another axe and caught a third minion with a drop kick, using the massive behemoth's weight to make him fall over himself.

Meanwhile, Mal was facing her own opponents. She used her small size to her advantage, slipping under the first minion's arm and leaping over the head of the one behind the first. She then kicked the second goblin in the back of the head with a surprising amount of strength for someone as small as her, sending the minion tumbling into the first.

Continuing into the third goblin, Mal dove beneath the behemoth and delivered an uppercut with her fist, knocking her opponent's helmet clean off its face. Taking advantage of his confused state, Mal leaped over the minion's head and swung her foot against the side, sending the goblin tumbling. While this was happening, however, the fourth minion swung his mace at Mal, who couldn't easily avoid it due to being airborne. This sent her falling to the ground as she cried out in pain.

"Mal!" Ben exclaimed, briefly losing focus due to his concern for his girlfriend. The minions he was facing took advantage of this and punched the young king in the stomach, sending him falling to the ground by Mal's side.

"Ugh…" Ben groaned as he clutched his aching abdomen. "Are you alright, Mal?"

"A bit sore, but otherwise I'm fine," she muttered as she held her bruised side.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Crocokiller cackled in laughter at the two fallen teens. "And here I thought you two would be more of a challenge. I guess Bale and Maylana's bloodlines have dwindled out over the past 1,000 years."

"What are you talking about?" Mal asked.

"None of your business!" The mutant reptile snapped. "Minions, destroy them!"

"Got any other ideas?" Ben muttered under his breath as the ten minions (the fallen ones had already recovered) stalked towards them.

"Only one," Mal replied as she took a deep breath and stood up.

"Mal?" Ben said, wondering what she was doing.

"Just don't freak out if I sound a bit like my mother," she whispered.

Before Ben could ask for further explanation, Mal continued speaking, this time raising her voice so that all of the minions present could hear her loud and clear. "You fools!" She roared. An image of Maleficent flashed in Ben's mind, as the tone of Mal's voice reminded him of her mother's. "How _dare_ you raise arms against your rightful mistress! I should have your hides for even _thinking_ of laying a hand on me–if you were even capable of thinking, that is!"

The minions halted and took a small step back in fear. "B-but, Lady Mal–" one of the minions stuttered.

"Silence, you insignificant worm!" The daughter of Maleficent snapped as she glared at the ignoramus who dared to speak, her eyes glowing an evil shade of green. "Or else I shall rip your empty skull out of your still-breathing body. Then, I'll hang it in my mother's throne room to serve as a reminder to all of what happens to those who dare to defy my will!"

"Y-y-yes, m-m-m'lady," the minion nodded as he shrunk back in fear.

Ben watched in both awe and fear as his girlfriend made her mother's minions quake in fear. From history class, he knew the factual information of the many atrocities that Maleficent had committed during her reign of terror. But now, as her daughter channeled the fury and rage that the Mistress of All Evil was known for, the young king of Auradon came to one frightening conclusion: the textbooks' descriptions did not do Maleficent justice.

"Now kneel at your mistress' feet and grovel like the dogs you are!" Mal bellowed as she pointed sharply to the ground beneath her. "And _maybe_ I'll take pity on your cowardice souls and spare you for your insolence!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The minions shouted as they fell to their hands and knees and pathetically pleaded for mercy.

"You idiots!" Crocokiller yelled. "Can't you see that she's just _pretending_ to be like her mother?"

The minions froze and faced the mutant crocodile in confusion. "Oh, yes," Crocokiller nodded. "Remember, our dear _sweet_ little Mal has already announced to the entire world that she has turned good. She won't _really_ go through with her threats; she's just using your fear of her mother to distract you!"

"B-But Maleficent–" one of the minions spoke up.

"–is now a pint-sized lizard trapped in the Beast's spell jar," Crocokiller pointed out. "You no longer have any reason to fear her, and certainly not her weak daughter. Now destroy her and her kingly boyfriend, or I'll destroy you!"

"You know what?" One of the minions said. "He's right." The other minions began to nod in agreement.

 _Damn it!_ Mal mentally cursed as she found herself losing control of the situation. _Of all the times for these blockheads to start using their brains, why did it have to be now?_

"Let's get them!" The minions shouted as they charged at the two teens.

 _Crap!_ Mal thought frantically as she tried to think of a way out of this situation, but try as she might, she couldn't think of anything. _I mean, it's not like I can just magically teleport Ben and…I…to–man, you are such an idiot, Mal! You've got magic; use it!_

Drawing on her magical energy, Mal recited a spell that she had recently discovered in the magical section of Auradon Prep's grand library: **"The face of doom, we now face; get us to safety, away from this place!"**

As Mal released her magic, she and Ben were engulfed in purple light, before they vanished into thin air. Surprised, the minions tripped and fell on top of one another, making a pile in the middle of the stone platform.

Crocokiller slapped his forehead in frustration. "You idiots are useless…" he muttered as he turned to the Enchanted Lake. "Well, might as well continue with the plan."

Crocokiller raised his large muzzle upward and gurgled, building up a fair amount of acid spit. Once he had accumulated enough, the mutant crocodile pointed his snout at the water and fired acid snot from his nostrils. The acid reacted with the mystical water, turning it from crystal-clear to murky-green.

Crocokiller smirked. _All according to plan…_ he thought as he chuckled evilly.

* * *

~~~~Auradon Prep Infirmary~~~~

Mal groaned as light slowly returned to her vision. Ignoring the dizziness, she sat up and looked around. She found herself laying on top of one of the sterile, white beds in the school infirmary.

 _Ugh…what happened?_ She groaned, taking note of the headache she had.

"Great. You're awake," a familiar female voice said. Mal turned to the right and found the Fairy Godmother and Ben sitting in the chairs next to her. Ben's topless torso made Mal blush as she eyed his well-toned abs, then she noticed the bandages that had been wrapped around it. It was then that she remembered what had happened.

"So, did the spell I used work?" Mal asked.

The elder fairy nodded. "Though I must say that you're lucky, dear," she said. "It's taxing enough just to teleport yourself. To have teleported both you and Ben at the same time…you should consider yourself fortunate that all you got was a mild case of magical exhaustion."

"I don't get it," Ben spoke up, confused. "Didn't Maleficent teleport _herself_ from the Isle of the Lost to the coronation? She didn't look that tired to me."

"What Maleficent did wasn't _actually_ teleportation," Fairy Godmother explained. "What she did was more like flying or levitation. _Much_ less energy-consuming than tearing a hole in the fabric of space-time and then repairing it before it can unravel the universe's very existence."

"Oh, is that all?" Ben asked dryly.

"I'm sorry I used that spell, Fairy Godmother," Mal apologized. "But it was the only spell I could think of that would have saved both me and Ben."

"And I don't blame you, child," Fairy Godmother assured her. "From what I've learned from Ben's recount, that you were able to recall any spell at that time was impressive."

"So, if Ben has already told you about what happened, then you know about that monster and my mother's old minions escaping from the Isle," Mal inferred. Fairy Godmother nodded. "What are we going to do about them?"

Fairy Godmother smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that those evil forces that you and Ben fought today are just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "The both of you are already all healed up, so why don't we continue this conversation in my office?"

Mal and Ben nodded as they stood up and followed the Headmistress out of the infirmary, not knowing that their lives were about to be forever changed (even more so than they already have)…

~~~~Fairy Godmother's Office~~~~

"Here we are, children," the Fairy Godmother said as she opened the door and allowed the two students to enter her office. Three other students were already there.

Mal recognized two of them. "Jane? Lonnie?" She said. "What are you two doing here?"

"Same reason as you I guess," Lonnie shrugged. "As to what that reason is exactly, we're still waiting for Fairy Godmother to explain."

"And who is the other guy?" Mal asked, pointing to the student she didn't know. The boy had neck-length, white hair that looked like a small waterfall; and deep-blue eyes that reminded Mal of the sea. He wore a loose, blue, long-sleeve shirt and a pair of leather pants. He was glaring at Mal, a look that unfortunately, many people still gave her.

"Prince Triton II," the now-known prince curtly introduced himself.

"Ariel and Eric's son," Ben provided, seeing the confused look on Mal's face. Turning to Triton, he added, "Triton, I'd like you to meet–"

"Maleficent, Jr.," Triton finished. Everyone was shocked by the prince's boldness. Of course, they all knew that 'Mal' was short for 'Maleficent,' but they didn't bring light to it since she hated to be reminded of it. "My grandfather was furious when you and your little posse were allowed off the Isle, thereby breaking his perfect record."

Mal was well aware of what he was talking about. Triton II's grandfather, King Triton I, was the king of the underwater city of Atlantica, which was located near the Isle of the Lost's waters. As such, the aquatic king was in charge of keeping any villains who somehow managed to escape from the Isle from reaching the mainland.

"Ehem!" Fairy Godmother cleared her throat as she sat down at her desk, cutting off the confrontation that she sensed was coming. "Now that we're all here, we can begin."

"Begin what exactly, Mom?" Jane asked.

"Our story," she replied. "A very special fairytale that has been kept secret and closely guarded by the Council of Good Fairies for centuries."

"If this story is such a big secret," Mal said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Then why are you telling us?"

"Because recent events have forced my hand," Fairy Godmother sighed. "Now, if you are all ready?"

The five students nodded. "Very well then," the Headmistress said as she began the tale:

 _"Once upon a time–about 1,000 years ago, to be more precise–the forces of good and evil were locked in a war of colossal proportions. The battles that were fought made the modern-day confrontations between heroes and villains seem like children's play by comparison. Swords clashed, enemies were slain–but at the end of the day, it always ended in a draw, with neither side gaining an advantage._

 _One day, however, everything changed. A new villain, whose dark magic was unlike anything that anyone had ever seen, came into the picture and, through fear and subjugation, united the forces of evil under one banner–hers. Her name…was Malevolence."_

Mal gasped, interrupting the story. "D-did you just say 'Malevolence?'" She asked.

The Fairy Godmother nodded. "What of it?" She asked in response.

"So, that dream was real…" Mal muttered.

"What dream?" Fairy Godmother inquired, concerned. Mal described the dream that she had had the night before. "The dream that you just described was the final battle of the war. Malevolence's armies had all but decimated the forces of good and were about to destroy all that is good and beautiful on the planet. In the end, it was the five brave warriors that you saw that saved the world from eternal darkness."

"But why did Mal have this dream?" Lonnie asked.

"My guess is because she is a direct descendant of the purple-clad warrior, whose magic was the most powerful of the five," Fairy Godmother explained, shocking everyone. "In fact, all five of you are direct descendants of those brave and noble warriors–the Ancestral Knights. This is why you five are here today."

"But Malevolence's forces were destroyed, right?" Jane asked nervously.

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "I'm afraid that not even your ancestors were powerful enough to completely defeat Malevolence," she replied. "So instead, they used their combined power to trap her and her armies in an alternate and uninhabited dimension. While the peoples that the Ancestral Knights had fought to protect believed that Malevolence was gone for good, the Purple Knight knew her better than that. She knew that one day, Malevolence would find a way to escape her imprisonment and raise her army to declare war on the forces of light once again."

"And just how did the Purple Warrior know this?" Triton asked, suspicious of any ancestor of Maleficent's daughter.

"Just as Mal is the daughter of Maleficent," Fairy Godmother sighed. "So too was the Purple Warrior, Maylana, the daughter of Malevolence."

They gasped in shock. "However, as Mal and her friends have proven, children are not bound by the actions of their parents," she added. "Anyway, continuing on: Maylana knew that someday, her mother would find a way to return, so she convinced her fellow knights to take their awesome powers and infuse them into five bracelets, so that their future posterity would be able to defend all that they fought so hard to protect when the time came.

"And that time is now," the elder fairy continued as she rose from her chair and opened up the cabinet behind her. She took out each of the five artifacts inside it and laid them on her desk. They were silver cuff-like bracelets, each embedded with a gem of a different color–red, purple, blue, yellow, and pink.

"Are those–?" Mal's eyes widened, as did the other four descendants'.

The Fairy Godmother nodded with a serious look on her face. "These five bracelets are the same ones that your ancestors infused with their powers. These are the five Mythicores," she replied. "Last night, they began to react to the stirring of a powerful source of dark magic, far beyond even Maleficent's ability. In response, they have chosen you five–the direct descendants of their creators–to wield these ancient powers to defend all that is good and light."

"Does that mean that we're the new Ancestral Knights or something?" Triton asked.

The Fairy Godmother smiled. "Not quite," she replied. "You see, over the past 1,000 years, the Mythicores have absorbed the magical energy of the very Earth itself. As a result, their powers have adapted and evolved, becoming far more powerful than they originally were. When you don these five bracelets, you will not become the five Ancestral Knights."

"Then what will we become?" Ben asked.

"You five will become…the Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants!"

"Power Rangers?" Mal asked, confused. "What's a 'Power Ranger?'"

Her fellow students looked at the former villainess like she had grown an extra head. "What?" She asked.

"Have you seriously never heard of the Power Rangers?" Lonnie asked, surprised.

"Umm…hello? I grew up on an island that's cut off from the rest of the world except for one channel that plays the same dumb propaganda over and over," Mal replied. "What do _you_ think?"

"Sorry," Lonnie apologized.

"It's okay," Mal replied. "So, back to my original question: what the heck is a Power Ranger?"

"The Power Rangers are a team of crime-fighting superheroes with amazing powers who protect the world from the forces of evil," Ben explained. "There have actually been many different teams in the past, though the basic idea is always the same. Each Ranger has a different color that distinguishes them from the others. Each of them also has access to advanced weaponry and abilities, including a giant, fight-capable machine called a 'Zord,' which combine to form an even bigger fighting robot called a 'Megazord.'"

"You seem well informed," Mal commented with a smirk.

"I'll admit it, I was a big fan of the Power Rangers when I was little," Ben admitted.

"Now that you have all been caught up," the Fairy Godmother spoke up. "You five have a decision to make. Will you accept the Mythicores and become the newest generation of the Power Rangers? If you choose not to, no one will hold it against you. The battles you will be fighting will be just as intense as the ones that your ancestors fought 1,000 years ago, if not even more so. You may very well _die_ in the line of duty. Knowing this, will you accept the mantle?"

"I'm in," Ben agreed immediately as he rose from his seat. "As king of Auradon, it is my duty to protect my subjects in any way that I can."

"I'll do it, too," Jane added as she stood beside Ben, surprising everyone with her boldness. "Hey, I'm the daughter of the Fairy Godmother, after all. I will make you proud, Mom."

"You already have," Fairy Godmother smiled. "Okay, that's two."

"Make that three," Lonnie said as she rose to her feet. "Though I may not look it, my parents taught me everything they know about martial arts. Now, I'll use my skills to defeat the forces of evil just as they did."

"Under that logic, I suppose I can't refuse either," Triton shrugged as he joined the other three Auradonians. "It's obvious that Queen Grimhilde is using denizens of the Isle of the Lost to create these monsters, so it only makes sense that the grandson of King Triton take part in defeating those that make it to Auradon."

"That's four Rangers," Fairy Godmother said. "Which leaves…"

Everyone turned towards Mal, the only one of them who had not yet responded. First, she looked at Triton, who was still glaring at her, seeing only the shadow of her mother. Not unexpected, as he had already made it very clear that he didn't like her.

Next, she looked towards Jane and Lonnie, who hid their feelings of uncertainty behind their smiles, probably because they weren't certain of what she would choose. A little hurtful, but again, Mal would have been surprised if they _didn't_ have any reservations. After all, the daughter of Maleficent had only chosen good a few days ago.

Then, she faced the Fairy Godmother, who had that confident and caring smile on her face, just as she always did. This lifted Mal's spirit slightly, but she knew that it was the Headmistress' job to have faith in all of her students.

Finally, she turned towards Ben, whose eyes still shined with the same belief that they always had–the belief that anything is possible, even the children of the Evilest Four choosing goodness.

Mal sighed. "Well, I've already made it this far," she said as she stood up, referring to her choosing goodness. "I may not know all the ins and outs of being good, but I'll do my best to protect all that is good and beautiful in the world. I'm in."

"And we'll be here to help you learn," Ben said as he smiled. "All of us."

"That's right," Jane nodded. "We're here for you, Mal."

"I know you don't like me and you don't think that I'm really good, Triton," Mal said as she turned to the son of Ariel. "But I'm going to do everything I can to prove it–to you, and to all of Auradon."

Triton shook his head and chuckled in amusement. "This, I've got to see," he smirked.

"You know what this calls for?" Lonnie asked with a mischievous smirk (a mediocre one in Mal's opinion, but not bad for an Auradonian). "Group hug!"

Mal's eyes widened as she slowly backed away from her four grinning teammates. "Wait, hold on–" her protests went unanswered as she found herself surrounded by four hug-crazy Auradonian kids. "Okay…I get it…You can let go now…CAN'T–BREATHE!"

"Sorry," Ben, Triton, Jane, and Lonnie said sheepishly as they backed off and gave Mal some room.

"Ehem!" Fairy Godmother cleared her throat, regaining the five Rangers' attention. "While I may be a proponent of sharing love and joy, I _do_ believe that we need to continue. After all, there is still a giant crocodile monster on the loose."

"Then let's get to it," Mal said.

"Very well," Fairy Godmother said as she picked up the Mythicore with the purple gem. "Mal Faerie, this Mythicore was created by your ancestor, Maylana. As such, it has chosen you to carry on the mantle of the Purple Ancestral Knight, and become the Purple Mythic Ranger."

The elder fairy handed the bracelet to Mal, then picked up the one with the yellow gem. "Li Lonnie," she said as she handed the Mythicore to the daughter of Mulan. "Your ancestor, Lo Luana, created the Yellow Mythicore so that her descendant could carry on her family's legacy of honor and virtue. You shall be the Yellow Mythic Ranger."

"My dear daughter, Jane," Fairy Godmother continued as she picked up the Mythicore with the pink gem, all the whole smiling at her daughter with pride. "Our ancestor, Julea, created the Pink Mythicore and infused it with all of the light magic that she had. As your mother, I'm proud to name you the Pink Mythic Ranger."

After giving the bracelet to her daughter, the Fairy Godmother turned towards Triton. "Prince Triton II," she said as she handed him the Blue Mythicore. "Your ancestor, Lord Neptuno, was the guardian of the sea and all of its inhabitants. I know you will make him proud as the Blue Mythic Ranger."

"And finally," she said as she turned to King Ben, while picking up the fifth and final Mythicore. "King Ben, you are the descendant of High King Bale, the ruler of Ancient Auradon and the leader of the Ancestral Knights. His bravery, nobility, and leadership has been reborn in you. Just as he led the Ancestral Knights in their fight against Malevolence, you too shall lead your team as the Red Mythic Ranger."

"From this day forth, the five of you–Ben, Mal, Triton, Jane, and Lonnie–shall be known as the Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants!" Fairy Godmother proclaimed flamboyantly. "Don your Mythicores, Rangers, and feel the power of your ancestors course through you!"

The five Rangers did so, and felt an incredible energy flow through them as soon as they placed the Mythicores around their wrists. The power filled them, binding itself to them as it recognized the blood of its creators coursing through their veins.

"So?" Fairy Godmother asked. "How do you feel?"

All five Rangers only had one response. "Awesome," they smiled in tandem.

Suddenly, the room around them began to shook violently, throwing its occupants to the floor. "It's an earthquake!" Jane screamed as she huddled next to Lonnie in terror.

"This is no earthquake!" Fairy Godmother shouted over the rumbling. "I can sense several dark magical presences surrounding the school and attacking its foundations."

"Sounds like our old pal Crocokiller is back," Ben stated. "Let's go show that overgrown reptile what happens when you mess with Power Rangers!"

"Right," the other four Rangers nodded as they followed their leader out the door and into battle.

"Good luck!" Fairy Godmother shouted after them as she braced herself against her desk.

* * *

"Faster, you idiots!" Crocokiller roared as the minions quickened the speed at which they attacked the school's walls. "I want this damn castle destroyed _yesterday_!"

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why exactly are we doing this?" One of the more intelligent goblins inquired. "I thought that Queen Grimhilde ordered us to create as much chaos and panic in Auradon as possible."

"Inside this building are five items that could ruin our mistress' plans!" Crocokiller replied, snapping at the minion who had spoken. "These items must be destroyed at soon as possible!"

"Are you talking about these?" Ben asked as he and his teammates walked forward, each of them bearing their Mythicore on their right wrist.

Crocokiller's eyes widened. "The Mythicores!" The mutant crocodile gasped in worry and shock, before regaining his verbal scowl. "Minions, destroy those five at once!"

The five teenagers just stood there confidently as the minions stopped what they were doing and charged towards them. "You guys ready?" Ben asked, turning his head to the left and then the right, addressing each of his comrades.

Mal, Triton, Jane, and Lonnie all nodded. "Ready!" They affirmed.

"Then let's do this!" The king of Auradon shouted as the five of them raised their Mythicores into the air over their heads. Instinctively knowing what to do, they pressed their left hands against their glowing gems and called on the power within them.

As one, the five heroes shouted a single phrase:

 **"Mythos Descendium!"**


	3. 02:Powers Descend, Rangers Defend! Part2

Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or Power Rangers! Descendants belongs to Disney. As for Power Rangers, ownership of the series has been returned to Saban (though for how long is anyone's guess). Meh…the point is that I don't own them.**_

 _Previously, on Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants…_

 _"You guys ready?" Ben asked, turning his head to the left and then the right, addressing each of his comrades._

 _Mal, Triton, Jane, and Lonnie all nodded. "Ready!" They affirmed._

 _"Then let's do this!" The king of Auradon shouted as the five of them raised their Mythicores into the air over their heads. Instinctively knowing what to do, they pressed their left hands against their glowing gems and called on the power within them._

 _As one, the five heroes shouted a single phrase:_

 _ **"Mythos Descendium!"**_

Chapter 02: Powers Descend, Rangers Defend! (Part II)

When Mal first left the Isle of the Lost, the barrier's magic-suppressing properties ceased their effect on her. The feeling of her magic (which had been accumulating in her magical core since the day she was born, but without any outlets through which it could be released) spreading through her body for the first time ever was like a dam that had burst, unleashing millions of gallons of previously-held back water and flooding the land downstream. The immense power flowing through her veins was amazing–it made Mal feel like she could do anything, like there was nothing that was beyond her reach. It was like she was hyped up on 100 cups of coffee without getting killed by a caffeine overdose. She had never felt more powerful!

And now, as Mal morphed into the Purple Mythic Ranger, she felt that same feeling, only at least ten times as great, like all of the caffeine in the world had been magically transferred to her bloodstream. The magical power now flowing through her body was unbelievable, like nothing she had ever felt…no, that's not right. Mal had felt something like this once before, during Ben's coronation. When she held the Fairy Godmother's wand in her hands, its light magic had coursed through her. At the time, she had thought that that feeling was what it always felt like when you held an extremely powerful magical artifact in your hands.

But now, as she felt the power of her ancestor, Maylana, coursing through her, Mal realized that it wasn't the sheer amount of magical power that gave her this feeling, but the immense power of the light. It now hit home to her that light really _is_ more powerful than darkness. Feeling emboldened and more confident in her own goodness, Mal called out:

 **"Dragon of Magic: Purple Mythic Ranger!"**

* * *

At the same time, Jane was also reveling in her new powers as the Pink Mythic Ranger. She felt not only the power of her ancestor coursing through her body, but now she could also sense her own dormant magical abilities within her. The daughter of the Fairy Godmother had always known that she had that power within her, but her mother had refused to teach her how to use her magic. The elder fairy had insisted on waiting until "the time was right" before beginning that part of her daughter's education. This greatly upset Jane, who thought she was more than ready to learn how to use her powers.

It wasn't until King Ben's coronation that Jane realized that what her mother said was true. In her jealousy and envy towards the more attractive and popular girls in school, she had tried to use the wand to change her appearance so that all of the boys would notice her. But it backfired when she lost control of the wand the moment it entered her hands, resulting in the giant hole in the barrier surrounding the Isle of the Lost that had started this whole mess in the first place. Her mother was right; she _hadn't_ been ready to learn magic yet.

But now, as the power of her ancestor, Julea, filled her entire being, she knew that the time her mother had spoken of had come. Jane's magic had been awakened, and she was ready to use it to protect the people of Auradon, just like her mother, the Fairy Godmother. With great confidence, Jane shouted:

 **"Fairy of Wind: Pink Mythic Ranger!"**

* * *

Li Lonnie was amazed by the awesome power that was swelling up inside of her. She had always wondered what it would feel like to actually be able to use magic, but this…this was beyond her wildest dreams!

You see, Lonnie wasn't like the other princesses at Auradon Prep. Unlike Audrey and the others, the daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang wasn't actually royalty, even though her mother was an honorary member of the Auradon Princess Society. While this meant that she wasn't as well off as some of her peers, it also meant that she wasn't pampered when she was a child as much as they were. She was trained by the best martial arts specialists in the world–her parents–and was taught humility, honor, loyalty, and virtue in battle. Like most young girls, Lonnie's idol was her mother, and she wanted nothing more than to grow up to become a brave, strong, and self-sufficient young woman that would make her mother proud. She dreamed of someday fearlessly facing down an entire army and defeating them with her skills and ingenuity, just as her mother had trapped Shan Yu and his entire army of Huns in an avalanche that she had started.

And now, she was filled with the strength of her ancestor, Lo Luana, Lonnie knew that the time to prove herself was now. Not only could she feel the great power growing inside of her, but she also found that new knowledge was flowing into her brain–knowledge of different fighting styles, weapons, and abilities that she had never even know existed. Lonnie realized that her ancestor had left her these things to fight the forces of evil with, and the thought of this gave her another person to make proud of her. With courage and honor, Lonnie cried out:

 **"Phoenix of Sun: Yellow Mythic Ranger!"**

* * *

Ever since he was a little boy, Prince Triton II had looked up to his grandfather, the king of Atlantica, as a role model. King Triton I was powerful, noble, and steadfast enough to either invigorate or quell the mighty seas at will, yet he was also kind and loving of his posterity. Triton II wanted nothing more than to grow up to be just like his grandfather.

Thus, when he learned that four of the villains his grandfather was tasked with stopping from leaving the Isle of the Lost were being given a chance to attend Auradon Prep and live in Auradon, the young prince was furious. He felt that the Royal Family of Auradon was insulting the mer-king that he looked up to by letting such _vermin_ walk amongst them. When he learned that the four 'guests' had publicly decided to choose good over evil, he snorted and dismissed it as typical trickery for the children of villains.

But now, as he felt the power of his ancestry, Lord Neptuno, course through him, and his merman heritage respond to the familiar power of the ocean, Triton II couldn't help but think that if a power of goodness similar to this had chosen the daughter of the Mistress of All Evil, then maybe not all villains' kids were evil. He would have more time to ponder this later: right now, however, he had to face monsters that he was certain were evil. With strength and nobility, Triton II declared:

 **"Merman of Sea: Blue Mythic Ranger!"**

* * *

Ever since he was a child, Ben had been raised by his parents to rule with a firm but fair hand, and to do everything in his power to defend the people that he ruled over. The future ruler of Auradon had taken these lessons to heart, and had dedicated his life to protecting the peace in Auradon.

It was with this in mind that Ben had decided to extend an invitation to attend Auradon Prep and live in Auradon to the children of the four worst villains of all time. While most people would rather forget it, the fact of the matter was that the Isle of the Lost _was_ in fact a part of the United States of Auradon, and the young then-prince had felt it his duty to give the children who were trapped there a chance at the life that they were entitled to as the future of the nation.

Ben had to admit, it had been close. The decree had almost backfired on him, but his bet had paid off. When Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay publicly chose goodness over evil, they had proven what he had set out to: that maybe, just maybe, there existed the potential for goodness inside of everyone.

He had been especially proud of his girlfriend. Out of all the children from the Isle of the Lost, it was Mal who had the potential to be the greatest threat to the peace and tranquility of Auradon. At the same time, however, Ben felt that she could also be its greatest champion. Not because the daughter of Maleficent was a powerful magical being (though that fact certainly didn't hurt), but because despite that her mother was the worst villain of all time, Mal had consciously chosen good. She wasn't like Audrey or the other princesses in Auradon, who hadn't chosen to be good so much as it was all they knew. Mal was raised by the worst villain of them all, in an environment that actively encouraged evil, and yet she had chosen good over all of that. It was the strength and willpower to forge her own path in spite of all that stood against her that Ben loved the most about Mal.

And now, as the strength and power of his ancestor, High King Bale, made its way through his body, Ben could feel that the Red Ancestral Knight would have approved of his decisions. He could feel the strengths and weaknesses of each of his teammates, and realized just how well the Mythicores had chosen their new bearers. Not only did they embody the ideals of their brave and noble ancestors, but they also fitted together perfectly like the pieces of a puzzle. He realized just how much of an honor it was to be the leader of such a great team, and it was at that moment that he swore to prove himself worthy of the position, just as all the Red Rangers who came before him had. With all the strength, confidence, and courage of a true leader, King Ben shouted:

 **"Griffin of Fire: Red Mythic Ranger!"**

* * *

The sudden appearance of the five spandex-clad (Dr. K: THEY ARE _NOT_ SPANDEX!) warriors had Maleficent's minions frozen in shock. Each of the five Rangers were garbed in spandex- _like_ material in their corresponding color–red, blue, yellow, pink, and purple. Each of their elbow-length gloves and boots were in a darker shade of their Ranger color, and around their waists, they wore silver-colored belts with small, spherical crystals embedded in them. Over their shoulders, they each wore a short, white cape held in place by a medallion bearing a symbol that appeared to be a partially-eaten apple surrounded by a circle of flames. Each of their helmets looked slightly similar to those worn by medieval knights, only more colorful and in the shape of their corresponding mythical animals. Around their wrists, they wore their silver-colored Mythicores.

As the five Rangers stood side by side, ready to charge into battle, they were no longer just five warriors, but a single _team_ of five warriors. It was five for one and one for five as they declared as one:

 **"Powers Descend, Rangers Defend! Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants!"**

Their roll call was topped up with an explosion behind them, giving off smoke in each of their Ranger colors.

 _Oh, shit!_ Crocokiller swore worriedly in his head. _It was bad enough when there were just two descendants of those damn knights around, but now all_ five _?! Why did I have to open my big mouth and volunteer to be the first one to return?_

"What are your orders, Boss?" One of the minions asked.

Crocokiller growled. "What do you _think_ they are?!" He roared. "Attack!" The horde of minions complied as they charged at the five colorful superheroes.

"Let's show them what we're made of, guys!" Red Ranger said as he ran forward to meet the enemy halfway.

"Right!" The others four Rangers nodded as they followed their leader into battle.

Evidently, Crocokiller had called for reinforcements; there were now _40_ minions to deal with instead of just ten. The five Rangers divided their adversaries evenly, each Ranger taking eight.

Purple Ranger made the first punch, striking the first minion to come into range in the chest. She was surprised when that one punch sent the minion tumbling back into the one behind him.

 _Wow!_ Mal thought in amazement as she leaped over the minion coming at her from 11 o'clock and sent a roundhouse kick straight into the side of his skull, sending another armored goblin to the ground. _I guess these suits really_ do _give us extra power. I've never been able to hit this hard before!_

Bringing her focus back to the fight, Purple Ranger swiftly dodged to the side, easily avoiding the battle axe that a minion tried to bring down on her. _It's not just my strength that's been enhanced,_ she realized. _My speed, reaction time, reflexes…all of them are a lot better now!_

"Nice toy," Purple Ranger said as she reached for her utility belt. "Now let me show you mine."

Going on the instinctive knowledge that came with her new powers, the Purple Ranger pressed her gloved hand against one of the crystal spheres on her belt. She channeled some magic into it and incanted: _**"Armiocomus!"**_

Both the crystal sphere on her belt and the one in her Mythicore began to glow purple in response to the incantation. Mal held out her hand, a three-foot purple baton (like the one cheerleaders use) with dragon heads on each end appearing in her grasp by magic. "Dragon Baton!"

"Staff Mode!" Purple Ranger declared as the mouths of both dragon heads opened up and a foot-long bar of purple energy extended from each of them. As three minions came at her from different directions, she ducked down and expertly spun the staff in her hands, easily disarming the three goblins and sending them flying.

Turning to her three remaining opponents, Mal held her staff out in front of her and grasped it with both hands. "Take this!" She shouted as she began to spin it at high speed, the two bars of purple energy making it appear like a giant purple disc. Channeling her magic into the staff, Purple Ranger called out, **"Dragon Burst!"**

The purple beams grew even brighter as a blast of violet energy in the shape of a dragon's head erupted from the staff and struck the three remaining minions, sending them flying into the side of the school.

"You know, a girl could get used to this whole 'superhero' thing," Mal said aloud to no one in particular as she deactivated her Dragon Baton's Staff Mode and casually twirled it in her fingers.

* * *

Lonnie easily leaped over the minion and landed perfectly behind him. "Hold still, you little brat!" The goblin growled as he turned around and swung his axe at the Yellow Ranger.

"Not a chance!" the daughter of Mulan replied as her lips curved into a confident smirk underneath her helmet. Bracing her hands on the ground, Yellow Ranger flipped and brought her foot down… _hard_ …on the minion's wrist, forcing him to drop the axe.

"Hi-YA!" She cried as she whipped her other leg around and kicked the minion in the side of the head, sending him to the ground. Turning her attention to the two goblins charging towards her on either side, Yellow Ranger leaped into the air at the last second and left the two minions to crash their thick skulls into each other.

"Take this!" Yellow Ranger yelled as she tapped one of the crystals on her belt. _**"Armiocomus!"**_

She held out her hand as both the crystal sphere she had touched and the one in her Mythicore began to glow, causing a bright-yellow compound bow to appear in her grip. "Phoenix Bow!"

As Lonnie pulled back on the drawstring, an arrow construct made of bright-yellow energy appeared cocked and ready to fire. She released the string and sent the arrow flying straight into the chest of the minion immediately in front of her. The arrow exploded upon making contact, sending the now unconscious goblin falling to the ground and leaving the four remaining ones temporarily blind.

 **"Phoenix Sun Shower!"** Yellow Ranger shouted as she drew back her drawstring and formed four arrow constructs at once. **"Fire!"**

She launched the four arrows, each of which honed in on one of the four remaining minions. As each arrow approached its target, it suddenly split into an entire volley of arrows, all of which struck the target and set off a rapid series of explosions, leaving them all unconscious.

"That…was…AWESOME!" Lonnie exclaimed as she jumped up and down in excitement. "Now I see why Mom wanted to join the Imperial Army so badly. Beating up bad guys rocks!"

* * *

The minion threw its massive fist forward, intending to finish this all in one blow. Triton simply raised his arms and caught the incoming fist by the wrist with his bare hands. Caught off guard, the goblin was unable to stop its forward momentum and flew over the Blue Ranger's head. Triton then tightened his grip on the minion's wrist and swung it around, tossing the giant armored foot soldier into two of its comrades.

"You want some more?" Blue Ranger said challengingly as he beckoned the five remaining minions to come at him.

Enraged, the minions fell for the taunt and charged straight at the blue-clad warrior. Triton smirked under his helmet as he leaped over the stampede at the last minute, leaving his adversaries to stumble and fall over their own giant feet.

"Idiots," Triton snorted as he put his hand to one of the blue crystals on his belt. _**"Armiocomus!"**_

Both the crystal on the Blue Ranger's belt and in the Blue Mythicore began to glow as he held out his hand and took hold of the blue, three-pronged trident that appeared before him. "Merman Trident!"

One of the minions laughed as it and its comrades got back on their feet. "A giant fork? _That's_ the best you've got?"

"Yeah," another minion added. "What are you going to do, serve us some giant meatballs for dinner?"

"Oh, _something_ is going to be served tonight," Triton growled, his voice suddenly turned cold as he pointed his trident at the minions. **"Crushing Sea!"**

The Merman Trident glowed with intense blue light as a tidal wave erupted from the Blue Ranger's feet and swept across the field in all directions. The minions' eyes widened as they were washed away by the tide.

"Never…diss…the trident!" Triton proclaimed, his voice drowning out the groans of the minions around him who were now sore all over their bodies.

* * *

Jane trembled slightly as the eight minions she had taken advanced towards her. "Don't be scared, little girl," one of the minions said mockingly. "This will only hurt…a lot! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Yeah!" Another minion added dumbly, nodding vigorously. "A lot!"

The Pink Ranger gulped. "Oh yeah?" She said, putting as much confidence as she could into her voice. She reached down to her utility belt and touched one of the pink crystal spheres. _**"Armiocomus!"**_

The crystal on her belt glowed in conjunction with the one in her Mythicore. She raised her hands and grabbed her weapons as they began to materialize in pink light. "Prepare to feel the wrath of my…" Jane paused as she examined her new pink war fans in confusion. "Fairy…Fans?"

The horde of goblins roared in laughter. "Yeah, that's really scary," the first minion said sarcastically. "Ooooh…a pair of fans! We're quaking in our boots!"

"Yeah," the second minion added. "What're you going to do? Knock us down with a nice breeze?"

"You know what?" Jane said as an idea came to her head. "That's exactly what I'll do!"

Pink Ranger raised her Fairy Fans and furiously flapped them out in front of her. The minions' laughter only grew louder at the feeling of the light breeze brushing against them. That is, until they realized that the so-called "light breeze" was picking up very quickly…

 **"Sparkling Cyclone!"** Jane roared as all eight minions were blown away at once by a cyclone that twinkled with pink sparkles.

After the winds had died down, Jane stared in amazement at the eight goblins she had defeated, who were now groaning and laying prone on the ground. "Wow…" was the only thing she could say. Finally looking away from the unconscious bodies, the Pink Ranger's eyes widened as she took in the amount of property damage she had wrought to the campus. Entire trees had been pulled out of the ground at their roots, while the grass and sidewalks had been completely torn apart as well.

Only one thought was going through the Pink Ranger's head at that moment. _Mom is going to kill me!_ She thought in panic.

* * *

Ben was standing in the middle of the circle of minions who had surrounded him. "Looks like we've fit the jackpot, guys!" One of the minions shouted. "Once we destroy the King of Auradon, we'll be known as the greatest henchmen of all time!"

"YEAH!" The others cheered as they waved their battle axes through the air in agreement.

"You'll have to defeat me first, boys," Red Ranger said as he touched one of the crystal spheres on his belt. As the crystal on his belt glowed in resonance with the crystal in his Mythicore, the young king cried out, _**"Armiocomus!"**_

A ball of red light appeared in the air above Ben's head. Raising his arms, he reached into the orb and grabbed the weapon that laid within. He pulled his weapon out, revealing a beautiful, silver sword with a red bejeweled hilt that was shaped like the head and wings of a griffin.

"Griffin Sword!" Red Ranger declared as he held his sword out in front of him.

"It doesn't matter if you have one sword or 100," the first goblin said as it turned to its fellow henchmen. "Let's get him!"

"YAAAAH!" The minions roared as they raised their battle axes and ran towards the young king.

In response, Ben simply ducked at the last moment and let the minions' axes clash with one another. The goblins tried to pull their weapons back for another assault, only to find that they were all tangled together. Taking advantage of this, the Red Ranger slipped his blade into the cracks and, with superhuman strength, ripped the axes out of their owners' hands and threw them up into the air. Ben then leaped into the air and made a flurry of high-speed slashes through the axes like they were made of butter. The shredded remains of the weapons fell to the ground, landing at the feet of the jaw-dropped minions.

Ben wasn't done yet, however. As he reached the peak of his jump, the Red Ranger pointed his sword downward and channeled his power into the blade, causing it to glow with intense, fiery red light.

The minions stared upwards at the glowing sword as it and its wielder approached the ground. They all were all thinking the exact same thought. _Oh, shit!_

 **"Griffin…"** Ben said as his feet landed on the ground and he plunged the blade of his sword into the earth. **"…NOVA!"**

An explosion of flames erupted from the ground and enveloped the eight minions who were congregated around the Red Ranger. The armored goblins screamed in pain before falling unconscious.

Ben pulled his sword out of the ground, causing the flames to recede. He was about to turn his attention to Crocokiller, but the mutant reptile beat him to it. Crocokiller slammed its body into the Red Ranger and threw him back several yards. The impact left him slightly dizzy, but other than that, Ben's suit absorbed most of the damage.

Crocokiller snorted. "Is that the best that Bale's descendant can do?" It asked tauntingly. "I remember your ancestor being far more difficult to defeat."

"And how would you know that?" Ben asked as he got back on his feet and stood up. "High King Bale lived 1,000 years ago, so you couldn't _possibly_ have known him."

"I can when I'm the spirit of one of Malevolence's dark soldiers," Crocokiller replied. "That's right–inhabiting this body is the spirit of one of the many evil creatures that fought the Ancestral Knights 1,000 years ago."

Ben was shocked. "But how is that possible?" He asked. "I thought that the Ancestral Knights banished Malevolence and her evil forces to another dimension."

"And they did," Crocokiller growled in confirmation. "However, thanks to that 'Queen Grimhilde' lady and the summoning ritual she used, I have returned to this realm, and soon the rest of my brethren will join me."

"Not if I can help it," Red Ranger said as he raised his Griffin Sword.

Crocokiller chuckled as it got into a fighting stance, its clawed hands held out menacingly. "Just like Bale, you don't know when to give up, do you?"

"Guess it runs in the family," Ben said as he and Crocokiller charged towards one another.

Crocokiller threw his right hand in a downward strike, intending to slice the Red Ranger's head clean off, only for his claws to be parried by Ben's sword. Ben then brought his sword down across the mutant crocodile's chest, leaving only a small scratch on the scaly armor. Crocokiller slashed at the Red Ranger with his left hand, only for him to leap back a few feet and charge forward with another strike of his sword. Once again, Ben barely made a noticeable mark on the mutant reptile's scaly body.

"Let's see how you like this!" Crocokiller said as it raised its muzzle and gargled, accumulating a fair amount of saliva in it jaws. "Acid Spitball!"

The mutant reptile spit out the acid-green gunk in its mouth, aiming straight for Ben. The Red Ranger quickly ducked, just narrowly avoiding the projectile by a couple of inches. Hearing a hissing sound coming from behind him, Ben looked over his shoulder and saw the gunk eating away at the ground like corrosive acid.

 _Note to self: don't get hit by acid spit,_ Ben thought as Crocokiller prepared more corrosive spit in its mouth.

"Multiple Acid Spitball!" Crocokiller declared as it opened its jaws and fired a flurry of corrosive saliva bullets in random directions in front of itself. Ben leaped and swerved, trying desperately to avoid being turned into human Swiss cheese. He groaned in pain when one of the acid spitballs grazed his shoulder, taking a small slice of his suit with it.

"Ben!" The Red Ranger turned and saw his teammates running towards him, having defeated the groups of minions they had taken. Being the first to reach him, Mal helped her red-clad boyfriend to his feet.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concerned when she saw the smoking tear in Ben's suit from the acid spitball that had grazed him.

"I'm okay," he assured her. "Just got grazed by a spitball made of corrosive acid, nothing major."

"Oh, is that all?" Mal asked dryly. Ben chuckled as he remembered himself saying the exact same thing to her earlier in the infirmary.

"Well, now that we're here, we can take down this monster together," Jane said.

"Please!" Crocokiller laughed. "If the strongest of you couldn't defeat me, then what makes you think that the rest of you can?"

"Shows what you know, Crocokiller," Lonnie said as she, Triton, Jane, and Mal gathered around their leader in a supporting fashion. "Unlike you, who only has yourself, we have all five of us working together."

"That's right," Jane nodded. "This is the true power of the light–teamwork!"

Triton simply nodded in agreement, not having really anything to add.

"If the five of you are that eager to die, then I'd be more than happy to grant your wish," Crocokiller sneered as it prepared another ball of acid spit. "Acid Spitball!"

The mutant reptile fired the spitball at the Rangers, only for it to be blocked by a tidal wave that the Blue Ranger created with his Merman Trident. Taking advantage of the monster's momentary distraction, the Purple Ranger fired a Dragon Burst straight at Crocokiller's chest, sending the monster flying into the school wall behind it. The Yellow Ranger cocked several of her energy arrows and fired them at Crocokiller. Jane added the powerful gusts from her Fairy Fans to the arrows, increasing their speed even faster and striking Crocokiller dead center, before it was engulfed in a series of explosions.

"That gone him!" Jane said.

"I have to agree with you on that one," Triton nodded. "There's no way that Crocokiller could have survived that attack."

The five Rangers were shocked, however, when their enemy staggered out of the smoke, pieces of its cracked scaly armor falling from the plating. "Did you honestly think…" it growled. "…that a few puny attacks like those…would be enough to defeat me?"

"I can't believe this," Mal said in frustration. "What does it take to destroy this thing?"

Suddenly, the five Rangers' Mythicores began to glow. "What's happening?" Lonnie asked as the incantation for a new spell suddenly appeared in their minds.

 _"With your amazing display of teamwork, you have proven yourselves worthy of a new power,"_ a sagely, female voice said, coming from the Mythicores themselves.

"Who are you?" Jane asked her Mythicore. "And what do you mean that we've 'proven ourselves worthy?'"

 _"You may call me Ancestria,"_ the voice replied. _"1,000 years ago, when the five Mythicores were created, the Ancestral Knights also created a personality within the Mythicores themselves–me. I am here to both guide and help the Knights' descendants on your journey to protect the world from the return of Malevolence. Whenever you prove yourselves worthy of your ancestors, I will grant you a new power to be used in the fight against evil, much as I am doing right now. Simply put your weapons together and cast the incantation that just came to your thoughts."_

"Okay," Ben nodded as he and his fellow Rangers put their weapons together, like medieval Knights crossing their swords in their air. "You ready, team?"

"Ready," the others nodded.

 _ **"Armio combinus!"**_ The five Power Rangers incanted as one. Immediately, their weapons and Mythicores began to glow with a bright, white light. Their weapons left their hands as they began to mold together, forming a whole new weapon in their place.

When the lights died down, in the Rangers' hands was a large crossbow made up of all five of their weapons. The bow, of course, was made from Lonnie's Phoenix Bow, which was connected to Triton's Merman Trident in a perpendicular angle near the fork of the trident. Jane's Fairy Fans were also attached to Triton's trident, on opposite sides of the lower end of the shaft. Ben and Mal's weapons formed the arrow–Ben's Griffin Sword was the upper-half of the arrow's shaft and the head, while Mal's Dragon Baton made up the lower half of the shaft.

"Mythic Crossbow!" The five Mythic Rangers declared as they aimed for the mutant reptile.

Crocokiller's eyes widened, recognizing the new weapon from the war 1,000 years ago. _I've got to get out of the way!_ He thought, but his aching body refused to move.

"Powered by…"

"Wind!" Jane said as her Fairy Fans glowed pink.

"Sea!" Triton added as his Merman Trident glowed blue.

"Sun!" Lonnie declared as her Phoenix Bow glowed yellow.

"Magic!" Mal's Dragon Baton glowed purple.

"And Fire!" Ben concluded as his Griffin Sword glowed red.

 _ **"Powers of the Five, take flight!"**_ They declared as one as the giant arrow launched from the crossbow and struck Crocokiller dead center.

"Noooooo!" Crocokiller wailed as it was engulfed in a massive explosion, destroying it completely.

"We did it!" The five Rangers cheered as they (yes, even Mal) gathered together in a big group hug, celebrating their first ever victory as Power Rangers.

"But you know…" Mal said after they broke up the hug. "I feel sort of bad for him."

"Crocokiller?" Ben asked, bewildered.

Mal shook her head. "No, I mean Tick-Tock," she corrected. "We just destroyed him along…with…Crocokiller…"

Ben noticed his girlfriend peering over his shoulder, looking at something behind him. He turned around and followed her gaze to the still-smoking crater where Crocokiller had been. He could make out an ominous silhouette, obscured by the smoke still emanating from the crater.

Before they could react, the shadow suddenly leaped out of the crater and tackled the screaming Mal to the ground. "How the hell is Crocokiller still alive?" Jane asked, no one noticing her vulgar language as they were too distracted by the mutant reptile's onslaught.

"Who cares?" Ben said as he raised his Griffin Sword. "Just get it off of Mal!"

"No…please…stop!"

"I don't think that she needs any help, Ben," Triton said with a smirk.

The Red Ranger shot Triton a glare so intense that the Blue Ranger could actually feel it, despite the fact that the glare was concealed by the red helmet. "Look, I get that you don't exactly like Mal," Ben said. "But at least respect the fact that she's your teammate!"

"I don't think that's what he means, Ben," Lonnie chuckled once she realized what was happening. "Just look."

Ben turned towards the reptile that was assaulting his girlfriend, and for the first time, he noticed that it wasn't the massive form of Crocokiller that was attacking her, but the smaller (but still pretty big) form of Tick-Tock. It was then that Ben realized that Mal's screams weren't of fear and agony, but rather of joy and laughter!

"Okay…I get it, Tick-Tock. I missed you, too," Mal laughed as she finally managed to pull herself out from underneath the giant crocodile's body. Kneeling next to Tick-Tock, she began to scratch the beast on a specific spot near its spine. To everyone's shock, Tick-Tock began to make a low, grumbling sound that almost sounded like it was… _purring_.

"Who's a good crocodile?" Mal asked in a baby voice. "Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"

Slightly weirded out by his girlfriend's behavior, Ben asked tentatively, "Uh, Mal? Why are you scratching Tick-Tock and making it purr and talking to it in a baby voice? Cause it almost looks like it's–"

"My pet?" Mal finished his sentence as she looked up at him. "That's because Tick-Tock here _is_ my pet."

"YOUR PET?!" The other four Rangers exclaimed, jaws dropped in shock.

Mal nodded. "Tick-Tock here has been my pet since I was a little girl," she explained. "I wanted to bring him with me when I left the Isle of the Lost, but I didn't think that he would receive a warm welcome, so I had to leave him there."

"How did Tick-Tock survive, though?" Lonnie asked. "Didn't we just destroy it?"

"When we destroyed Crocokiller, Tick-Tock must have been freed from the evil spirit's possession and spared," Jane surmised.

"That…doesn't make any sense," Ben pointed out.

"It's magic," Jane responded. "It doesn't _have_ to make sense."

No one could refute that argument. There was still one question, however…

"Can I keep him?" Mal asked.

Ben sighed. "It's not that simple," he replied. "There are several problems with you keeping Tick-Tock as a pet. For one, where the heck are we going to keep a 20-foot crocodile? How are we going to feed him? And besides, Auradon Prep has a strict no-pet policy."

"What about Dude?" Mal asked, referring to the campus mutt that was currently sleeping at the foot of Carlos de Vil's bed.

"Dude is different," Ben explained. "He belongs to the campus as a whole, while school rules forbid students from having personal pets."

"Power down!" Mal declared as she tapped her Mythicore and reverted back to her civilian form. Ben was confused by Mal's actions, and wondered what she was planning.

His confusion was resolved when he realized that Mal was giving him the dreaded puppy-dog pout. She had obviously demorphed so that she could use it to its fullest effect. "Please?" Mal said in a sweet, adorable voice that was totally out of character for her. "Can't the school make an exception for the king's girlfriend?"

 _Must resist cuteness! Must resist cuteness!_ Ben chanted in his head. _Must not cave in! Must not cave in!_

"Tick-Tock and I would be _so_ sad if we had to be separated again," Mal pouted as she raised the giant crocodile's head. "Just look at him."

To Ben's utter amazement, it looked like Tick-Tock was actually using the puppy-dog pout, too! Unable to resist any longer, Ben finally caved in, "Fine. I'll talk to Fairy Godmother."

"Yay!" Mal cheered as she hugged her red-clad boyfriend. "You're the best, Benny-boo!"

"Okay, you _seriously_ have to come up with your own nickname for me," Ben said in a serious voice. The others broke out in laughter at Ben's uncomfortableness.

* * *

~~~~Isle of the Lost~~~~

"Damn it!" Queen Grimhilde roared as she watched the scene play out in the Dragon's Eye. "Those five actually managed to stop our evil plan!"

"I can't believe that Auradon has its own Power Rangers now," Jafar commented. "It looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

"Not only that, but it looks like we've just made Mal's day!" Cruella sneered in disgust. "Not only were her and the other Power Rangers victorious, but now she's got her old pet back!"

"So?" Grimhilde asked as she shrugged. "Who cares if those two have been reunited?"

"Think, Grimhilde!" Cruella said. "We could have used Tick-Tock as leverage against Mal and blackmailed her into doing whatever we want."

"Cruella is right," Jafar agreed. "Mal would have done anything to ensure Tick-Tock's safety. After all, she's always had that weakness for those she feels close to. Her mother, Tick-Tock, her brother…"

"We are not to speak of that traitor…EVER!" Grimhilde snapped. "He's dead now, and good riddance, I say."

"Fine," Jafar held his hands up in a mollifying gesture. "It's not like he's any good to us dead. We should just focus on what we're going to do next."

"To Maleficent's spell book!" Grimhilde declared as the Evilest Three went for the ancient tomb, all thoughts of the son of Maleficent leaving their minds. Little did they know that something was stirring on the Isle of the Lost, something that would turn the tide of the war between good and evil…

* * *

~~~~The Island of the Damned~~~~

A 20-year-old young adult tumbled into the secret chamber located deep beneath the Island of the Damned. Ever since the night before, something had been calling out to him…a voice that he had never heard before, yet somehow sounded familiar…

"What's that?" The young man wondered aloud as he walked toward the light coming from something that was mounted on a pedestal in the middle of the chamber. He picked up the artifact that was emitting the light, which died down as soon as he touched it, and examined it. It was some kind of cuff bracelet made out of obsidian, with a black gemstone embedded into it.

Weighing his option, the young man shrugged and placed the bracelet around his wrist, not knowing that this one act would change his life forever…

 _What diabolical plan will the Evilest Three hatch next? What will become of Tick-Tock the Crocodile? Just who is the young man, and how does he play into all of this?_

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

A/N: Cliffhanger! Hope you like this chapter. I plan to debut the Mythic Rangers' Zords next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!


	4. 04: The Keys to Color (Part I)

Power Rangers: Mythic Descendants

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants, Power Rangers or Kingdom Hearts! Descendants and Kingdom Hearts belong to Disney. As for Power Rangers, ownership of the series has been returned to Saban (though for how long is anyone's guess). Meh…the point is that I don't own them.**_

 _ **Additional Disclaimer: If you see anything else that is a part of the official Disney franchise, I don't own that either. This generally means stuff from other Disney movies that I don't want to mention by name in the disclaimer because it would spoil too much.**_

Chapter 03: The Keys to Color (Part I)

 _Mal opened her eyes, finding herself once again surrounded by thick, fluffy clouds._ Is this…another vision of the past? _She wondered as she felt the same vivid sensations as she had during the vision/dream that she had two nights before, of the final battle of the Ancestral War._ If that's the case, then show me the vision.

 _In response to her wishes, the clouds parted ways, revealing the scene that was to play out before her. Mal found herself standing next to a purple-armored woman that she recognized as Maylana, the Purple Ancestral Knight from whom she descended, and the creator of her Purple Mythicore._

 _Mal followed her ancestor's gaze and saw that she was standing before a giant, purple dragon. Under most circumstances, Mal would freak out and panic at the sight of a massive, fire-breathing reptile; but somehow, this felt…different, but in a good way. It was as if the dragon was giving off some kind of calming, friendly aura that told Mal's instincts that it was a friend._

 _Looking more closely, Mal noticed something odd about the dragon. Its scales…they had a kind of shine to them due to the light that reflected off of them, but they didn't look like normal dragon scales. They looked almost…_ metallic _, like it was a robot, and yet…the daughter of Maleficent couldn't help but think that it looked just as lifelike as her mother's dragon form._

 _"Here thou go, Draconia," Maylana said as she took a large, five foot-long salmon from the giant bucket sitting next to her and presented it to the dragon. "'Tis time for supper!"_

 _Mal watched in amazement as Maylana tossed the giant fish high above her head, while the dragon–Draconia–extended its neck and caught the salmon in between her razor sharp teeth. "Good job, girl!" Maylana praised. "Who be'ith a good Mythizord? Yes, 'tis thou! Yes, 'tis thou!"_

 _The Ancestral Knight raised her hand and scratched Draconia at a certain spot underneath her muzzle, the same spot–Mal realized–that she used to calm Tick-Tock down. Sure enough, the purple dragon's posture slackened as she let out a soft, satisfied growl._

 _Suddenly, Maylana turned her head to her right, as if to look directly into her descendant's eyes. "To thou who art mine descendant, know this," she said with a serious look on her face. "In thy quest to defend the lands from mine mother's return, thou and thy comrades shall need the strength of our most loyal and trusted of allies. But before thou can call upon their aid, thou must be deemed worthy. If thou is to gain the respect of the Dragonzord, thou must prove thineself. This riddle shall guide thee."_

 _Maylana took a deep breath, then recited:_

 _ **"Evil rises, the wicked ones grow,  
**_ _ **When none can match so mighty a foe,  
**_ _ **Find creatures five who art sealed in stone  
**_ _ **Near the mystic waters which guard our home.  
**_ _ **Release the lock to set them free,  
**_ _ **But first thou must earn the key.  
**_ _ **A knight shall stand, joined together,  
**_ _ **In the end, happily ever after."**_

 _"The best of luck, mine descendant," Maylana said as the clouds began to move again, gradually concealing the knight and the dragon from view. "I bid thee good fortune on thy journey."_

* * *

Mal's eyes snapped wide open as she panted heavily, her heart racing about a mile a minute. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she focused some of her magic into her eyes and made them glow an acid shade of green, much like she did back when she used to have those "evil-glaring" contests with her mother. Now able to see in the dark, she reached over to her nightstand and picked up the journal and writing utensils that laid on top of it. Opening it up to the next blank page, she quickly began to furiously write in it.

This wasn't the spell book her mother had given her that Mal was writing in. No, it was something that the Fairy Godmother had assigned her to do.

 _~~~~Flashback, the Day Before, Headmistress' Office~~~~_

 _Fairy Godmother pulled out a small, spiral notebook with a purple cover and placed it on top of her desk, right in front of Mal. "There you go, dear," she said. "I think you'll find that most useful."_

 _"Er…thanks," Mal replied awkwardly as she picked up the notebook and flipped through the blank pages. "But…what's it for?"_

 _"On the same night that the Mythicores first awakened, you had a vision of the final battle of the Ancestral War," the elder fairy explained. "As the descendant of Maylana, the most powerful magic-user among the Ancestral Knights, you may have more such visions in the future. Whenever you have such a dream–if it's not too much trouble–I would like for you to write down everything that you can remember about it in this journal as soon as you wake up. We need all the advantages we can get to fight Malevolence's forces as they slowly begin to return."_

 _~~~~End Flashback~~~~_

Once Mal had made the final stroke, she sat back and reviewed what she jotted down. On the left page, she had composed a brief summary of the vision. She mentioned both Maylana and the purple dragon, and how she had been given a warning and a riddle by her ancestor. Beneath that, Mal had written all of what she was able to remember of the riddle.

Mal turned her gaze to the right page, which she had devoted to a detailed sketch of the dragon she had seen in the vision. Of all the things she had seen, the image of that dragon was the most vivid thing in her mind. She remembered feeling a sort of kinship to it, not unlike the one that she shared with Tick-Tock the Crocodile, who was currently curled up in his magically-enlarged doggie bed at the foot of her bed.

Satisfied with what she had written down, Mal returned her vision journal and writing utensils to her nightstand and turned off her night vision. Resolving to tell the Fairy Godmother about this first thing in the morning, she tucked herself back into bed and fell back to sleep.

* * *

~~~~The Next Morning, Headmistress' Office~~~~

The five Mythic Rangers were gathered together in the Fairy Godmother's office, having been summoned by her after Mal came in with news of another vision. After 10 minutes of carefully reading and analyzing Mal's writing, the Fairy Godmother closed the journal and handed it back to Mal.

"So?" Mal asked. "What do you think?"

"It's hard to say for certain," the Fairy Godmother replied thoughtfully. "But if I had to guess, I would have to say that Maylana is telling the five of you to find the legendary Mythizords."

"I think Maylana mentioned something about 'Mythizords,'" Mal commented as she carefully thought back to her vision. "Yeah…I think she called the dragon a 'good Mythizord.' But what _is_ a Mythizord, anyway?"

"The Mythizords were, for lack of a better term, the animal familiars of the Ancestral Knights," Fairy Godmother explained. "I say this because while the fairy tale indicates that the bonds between each Ancestral Knight and their Mythizord were akin to such, they were far more powerful than any normal familiar bond. It is said that when the Ancestral Knights were faced with an opponent that was beyond even their great abilities to vanquish, they need only to call upon them, and no how far away they were, the Mythizords would come to them. According to the texts, many of the Ancestral Knights' battles would have been lost if not for the Mythizords' aid."

"Are you saying that the Ancestral Knights had their own Zords?" Ben inquired. Fairy Godmother nodded. "But I thought that Zords were sort of a 'Power Rangers'-only deal."

The Fairy Godmother chuckled. "The Great Power that fuels the Morphing Grid, which gives all Power Rangers their powers, has existed since the beginning of time, long before the formation of the first team of Power Rangers," she explained. "It should be no surprise that the Great Power has been wielded by people other than official Ranger teams. In fact, from what I understand, there has even been a team of Rangers whose Zords have existed for over 3,000 years." (A/N: A proverbial cookie to the first person to guess that team correctly.)

"So, what happened to the Mythizords?" Jane asked.

"Not long after the final battle, the Mythizords just mysteriously disappeared without a trace," Fairy Godmother replied. "Many of my colleagues on the Council of Good Fairies believe that they simply died, but Mal's vision indicates that they may still be alive today, waiting for the descendants of their old friends to come to them."

"How do we find them?" Lonnie inquired.

"The riddle says to ' _find creatures five who art sealed in stone near the mystic waters that guard our home_ ,'" Triton spoke up. "I would assume that means we should search magical bodies of water, such as the Enchanted Lake or the Bayou de Orleans."

"What about underneath the ocean?" Ben asked. "The waters near Atlantica would be magical, right?"

Triton shook his head. "I doubt that the Mythizords would be hidden beneath the sea," he replied. "Most of them are probably unable to breathe underwater, so it would be a poor choice to hide them so far below sea level. No, the Ancestral Knights probably hid them near an in-land body of water."

"Good point," Lonnie agreed. "So, where should we look first?"

"If I might make a suggestion," Fairy Godmother spoke up, offering advice to the Mythic Rangers. "I would recommend starting with the Enchanted Lake. It's the closest magical body of water to here, and its dark magic-cleansing properties would make it a great place to hide the Mythizords from the forces of evil."

"Okay, so we'll go to the Enchanted Lake today after school," Ben suggested. "It's Friday, so we'll have the whole weekend to investigate. Does anyone have any objections?"

"I do," Mal said. "Why wait until after school? Why not just go right now? The sooner we find the Mythizords, the better prepared we'll be for the next monster attack."

"We can't just skip school, Mal," Jane replied. "That would be wrong."

"But we don't know when the next monster attack will be," Mal insisted. "For all we know, we might end up needing the Mythizords _before_ this afternoon."

"Grimhilde just launched her first monster attack a few days ago," Ben pointed out. "She probably won't send out another one for a while."

"But we don't _know_ that," Mal reiterated. "I'd feel much better if we reawakened the Mythizords as soon as possible, before there's any chance of Grimhilde, Jafar or Cruella launching an attack that we're not ready for."

"What do you think about this, Fairy Godmother?" Lonnie asked.

"While as an educator, I can't condone five of my students–one of whom is my own daughter–skipping class," Fairy Godmother said carefully. "Mal might very well have a point. After all, she grew up around the very villains that we're up against, so she knows them better than we do."

"Still, we can't just skip class," Jane said. "Someone is bound to notice if all of us are missing, especially those of us like Ben who have a public image to maintain."

"I can go check out the Enchanted Lake alone," Mal offered. "No one would find it suspicious for a VK to skip class."

"Out of the question, Mal," Ben said firmly. "While I admit that you have a point about awakening the Mythizords as soon as possible, going off on your own would be a very bad idea. It would make you an easy target for an ambush, and if you got hurt, no one would be around to help you."

"Then I'll bring Jay or Carlos along with me," Mal countered. "Again, VKs–ditching–not suspicious!"

"Except for the fact that we're supposed to keep our identities as Rangers a secret," Triton pointed out. "If you brought either of those two with you, you would have to explain to them exactly what it is you're doing. Your mother may be the Mistress of All Evil, but not even you could come up with a convincing cover story as to why you're trying to find the Power Rangers' Zords without telling them that you're a Ranger yourself."

"Besides, remember how much trouble you and I had against the minions before we became Rangers?" Ben asked. "Based on that, how much of a chance do you think Carlos and Jay would have against them?"

"I guess you have a point," Mal sighed. "If anything, I would end up being the one protecting them."

"Exactly," Ben nodded. "I'd feel better if you had at least one other Ranger with you as back-up, instead."

"I'll go with you, Mal," Lonnie offered.

"Are you sure, Lonnie?" Mal asked, surprised that the daughter of Mulan would be so willing to shirk off school, even given the current circumstances.

"Positive," Lonnie replied. "I always love a good adventure. Besides, my car just got back from the auto shop, and I've been dying to take it for a test drive."

"Okay then," Mal nodded, before turning to her boyfriend. "Is that enough back-up, _Your Majesty_ , or do you want to send your royal guard, too?"

Ben sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but okay," he reluctantly agreed. "Just be careful, you two."

"Don't worry, Benny-boo," Mal said teasingly as she and Lonnie walked out the door. "We'll be fine."

* * *

~~~~Isle of the Lost, Bargain Castle~~~~

(A/N: For those of you who haven't read _Descendants: Isle of the Lost_ , the Bargain Castle is where Mal and Maleficent lived on the Isle of the Lost. I'm not entirely certain, but I think it's the run-down place at the beginning of the movie where the Evilest Four–Maleficent, Jafar, Queen Grimhilde, and Cruella de Vil–meet with their children.)

"Damn it!" Cruella de Vil roared as she slammed the book she had been reading down on the table next to the piles of tomes that she and the other two members of the Evilest Three had already finished, causing the piece of furniture to shake.

"I take it that book is a dead end, as well?" Jafar asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Cruella sneered.

"I can't believe this," Queen Grimhilde grumbled. "We've read through every book that Maleficent has regarding the Ancestral Knights, and not even one of them mentions how to defeat them! How are we supposed to beat those 'Mythic Rangers' if we can't beat their powers?"

"I believe I can be of assistance," an arrogant voice with a thick accent said as its owner walked into the room. The Evilest Three turned in the voice's direction and saw a thin man with black, shoulder-length curly hair and a thin, sharp-angled mustache. He wore a white, frilly cravat underneath a crimson coat with matching cuffs and gold lining. He also had an orange sash over his right shoulder that held a scabbard for his rapier at this left hip. On the lower half of his body, he wore rose pants and white, knee-high socks, as well as black boots with a pink circle on each. Topping off his appearance was his large, crimson hat with a huge feather stuck in it.

"What are you doing here, Hook?" Jafar asked as he glared at the infamous "World's Most Famous Crook."

"Word on the poop deck is that the Evilest Four–now Three–have acquired Maleficent's staff, and have been using it to wage war against Auradon," Captain James Bartholomew Hook replied. "I simply wish to offer my services in defeating the colorful crew that stands in your way."

"And what, exactly, do you have to offer us?" Grimhilde asked suspiciously.

"An evil plan, and the means to carry that plan out," Captain Hook answered. "You say you wish to defeat the Mythic Rangers, correct? Well, instead of searching for ways to defeat their ancestors' powers, I suggest looking for ways to defeat the scalawags who are wielding those powers."

"Hmm…there may be some sense in that," Grimhilde conceded. "From what we've read, the powers of the Ancestral Knights can only be used by their chosen descendants, so if we were to incapacitate the Rangers themselves, then their powers would be useless."

"And I have come up with a way to do so," Hook said. "The Purple and Pink Rangers are both part-fairy, which means that their existences are inherently tied to the state of their fairy magic. Relieve them of that, and they will be bedridden if not outright sent to Davy Jones' locker, reducing the Rangers' numbers down to three."

"That just might work," Grimhilde said, starting to like this idea.

"And I even have the perfect host for the monster to carry out this task," Hook said as two of his crew members dragged in a small, plump boy with platinum-blonde hair. "I present to you Samuel 'Sammy' Smee, the son of my late first mate, Mr. Smee."

"Let me go!" Sammy whined as he struggled against the chains that bound him. "Please don't do this, Uncle Hook!"

"You would offer up your own godson as the host for one of our monsters?" Cruella asked bewilderedly, before chuckling evilly. "I like it!"

"Hold on," Jafar spoke up as he looked at Hook. "What's in it for you, Hook?"

"All that I ask for in return is the fairy magic that the monster plunders," Hook replied, ignoring Sammy's pleas.

"That is acceptable," Grimhilde nodded as she raised Maleficent's staff and pointed the Dragon's Eye at the son of Mr. Smee:

 _ **"Spirit of Evil, hear my call;  
**_ _ **Arise from your ashes and become my thrall!  
**_ _ **Possess this body and make it your own,  
**_ _ **And serve your mistress as she reclaims her throne!"**_

A mass of evil-green-colored smoke rose from the ground and engulfed the screaming young boy. Once the smoke had sunk in, in Sammy's place was a giant, crimson-colored monster with a large, blue pirate hat; a torso shaped like a treasure chest; a pirate hook in place of its right hand; and a butterfly net strapped to its back.

"Arrgh! I be the Pixie Dust Pillager!" The newly-formed monster roared in introduction. "What be your orders, Mistress?"

"Take a contingent of minions to Auradon and steal the fairy magic of the Pink and Purple Rangers, as well as any other fairies that you may encounter!" The Evil Queen commanded.

"As ye wish, Mistress," the Pixie Dust Pillager saluted before leaving the Bargain Castle.

* * *

~~~~Auradon, Route 21 (Destination: Enchanted Lake)~~~~

Route 21 was almost always a prime example of peace and serenity. On a clear, sunny day, the forested main road to the Enchanted Lake would be filled with the sweet sounds of songbirds chirping in harmony; on stormy days, the tree canopy gave those traveling along the route shelter from the rainfall, and thunder and lightning seemed to avoid the vicinity.

Whether this phenomenon was a residual effect from being so close the Enchanted Lake or a mere coincidence was unknown, but either way, Route 21 was considered one of the best roads in all of Auradon to take a leisurely drive on. For this reason, when traveling on Route 21, most people like to slow down and take the time to bask in its aura of beauty and calmness…

"Woo-hoo!" Li Lonnie hollered joyfully as she drove her giant SUV down the paved road, just barely keeping to the 45 mph speed limit (A/N: For those of you who use the metric system, that's about 72.4205 kilometers per hour).

"You know," Mal said offhandedly from the front passenger seat. "When you mentioned having your own car, I kind of pictured you having something a little more…tame than this."

"And by 'tame,' you mean something like Audrey's top-of-the-line, hot-pink Volkswagen Beetle?" Lonnie smirked knowingly, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Pretty much, yeah," Mal nodded. "I mean, I'm not complaining or anything–this car is totally wicked–but why would a princess have something so hardcore?"

"Okay, first off, I'm not a princess," Lonnie replied. "My mom's 'princess' status is honorary, not hereditary, so me being her daughter doesn't automatically make me royal. And second, like I said before, I love traveling and going on adventures. A car like Audrey's buggy wouldn't last five minutes off-road, while this baby can drive on pretty much any terrain that's not vertical."

"Fair enough," Mal shrugged. "Just one more question."

"What's that?" Lonnie asked.

"What's with all the yellow?" Mal asked, referring to the SUV's yellow paint job, yellow steering wheel cover, yellow upholstery, and yellow…pretty much everything.

"It's my favorite color," Lonnie replied.

"And you being the _Yellow_ Ranger has nothing to do with it?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see how," Lonnie shrugged. "This SUV was a 16th birthday present from my parents. They took me to the dealership their cars are from and told me to pick out any one car in the lot."

"But still, it's odd, don't you think?" Mal asked. "I mean, your car is yellow; I haven't seen Triton not wear at least one blue article of clothing at any given time–even Ben's started wearing red everyday!"

"Not to mention you and Jane," Lonnie pointed out, seeing what Mal was saying.

"What do you mean?" Mal inquired.

"Well, Jane's always wearing a mini-version of the pink bow that her mom wears on the front of her top," Lonnie explained. "The only times I've ever seen her not wear that bow is at sleepovers when she wears her pajamas–which, now that I think about it, are also pink."

"And what about me?" Mal asked.

Lonnie looked at Mal incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" She asked. "Mal, _everything_ about you is purple. Your hair, your clothes–pretty much everything you own is purple."

"You may have a point there," Mal said as she thought back and realized just how much purple stuff she had. Now that she thought about it, she had always been drawn to things that were her favorite color. At the time, she had thought of it as her way of emulating her mother (not to mention the fact that there weren't that many clothes on the Isle that went well with purple hair), but maybe it was something deeper…

Mal was driven out of her musings as Lonnie suddenly slammed on the brakes and sent her jerking forward, the seatbelt being the only thing keeping the Purple Ranger from flying straight through the windshield. "What was that for?" Mal grumbled.

"Look," Lonnie said, pointing ahead of her.

Mal looked up and saw a barricade extending across the entire road, stopping them from proceeding further. At first, the barricade looked like it was unguarded, but then she looked closer and saw several specks flying around it.

"Fairies," Mal said aloud in realization.

"But why are they blocking the road?" Lonnie wondered.

"Only one way to find out," Mal replied as she rolled down her window and stuck her head out. "Hey, pixies! What's the big idea?"

Lonnie face-palmed. "Great idea, Mal," she said sarcastically. "Go ahead and be rude to them, why don't you?"

"Just be quiet and let me do all the talking," Mal said as one of the guard-fairies fluttered over.

"What can I do for you ladies?" He asked.

"You can start by telling us why the road is blocked off," Mal answered. "We have some important business at the Enchanted Lake."

"If you're going to the Enchanted Lake, then I'm afraid you came all this way for naught," the guard-fairy said. "It's been quarantined and roped off due to enviro-magical safety hazards until further notice."

"By whose order?" Mal asked.

"The Council of Good Fairies, of course," the guard-fairy replied. "All magical locations in the United States of Auradon fall under their jurisdiction."

"You know, that's funny," Mal said. "Because we're here on the orders of the Fairy Godmother herself, and she certainly didn't mention anything about a quarantine."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, but my orders are quite clear," the guard-fairy said. "No non-fairies beyond this point–no exceptions."

"Is that so?" Mal asked. The guard-fairy nodded. "Well, in that case, you should have no reason to stop us. You see, I'm half-fairy on my mother's side, so in other words, I'm not a 'non-fairy.'"

"I don't suppose you have some kind of ID or documentation verifying this, do you?" The guard-fairy inquired.

"I can call the Fairy Godmother and have her verify it," Mal replied. "Or how about my boyfriend? I'm sure the word of the King of Auradon would be accepted as legit."

"King of Auradon?" The guard-fairy repeated in confusion. He looked closer at the girl in front of him. After a few moments of scrutiny, his eyes widened in shock and realization. "Y-you're–"

Mal nodded. "That's right," she confirmed. "Mal Faerie, live and in person. Now, unless you want me to call King Ben so that you can explain to him why you're not letting his half-fairy girlfriend into an area that's only roped off to _non_ -fairies…"

"Uhh…" the guard-fairy said hesitantly. "I…I've got to check with my superiors." With that, the guard-fairy flew over to the other fairies patrolling the barricade and began to speak to them in hushed voices.

Lonnie used her driver's side controls to roll up the passenger window and then turned to Mal. "Wow, one month at Auradon Prep, and you already know how to throw authority around," she commented. "Impressive."

"It's not that big a deal," Mal shrugged. "I had to do stuff like that from time to time when I lived on the Isle of the Lost. The only difference was that I threatened to bring my mother–their leader–into it if they didn't agree with me."

"So, on the Isle of the Lost, you were sort of like…a princess?" Lonnie asked.

"I guess that's one way of putting it," Mal shrugged. "Of course, I prefer to use my own merit instead of other people's, but when you've lived on the Isle of the Lost for your entire life like I have, you learn to use whatever resources you've got to get your way and survive."

Lonnie didn't know how to reply to that, but fortunately she was spared from doing so by the light tap of the guard-fairy from before on the car window. The daughter of Mulan quickly rolled down the window so that they could speak with the fairy.

"So, what's the verdict?" Mal asked.

The guard-fairy glanced side to side nervously, then turned to the two girls in the car. "Okay, we'll let you two through, but you have to promise not to interfere with the situation," he whispered. "Got it?"

"Got it," Mal and Lonnie replied.

The guard-fairy signaled to the others and they magically vanished one of the road blocks. Lonnie slowly drove the SUV through the opening and continued on, the fairies restoring the road block once the vehicle had passed through.

* * *

~~~~Enchanted Lake~~~~

"Status update!" Fairy Mary said, calling the fairies in charge of each team present to her. "Animal Squad, report!"

"All of the cute little forest critters have been evacuated from the lake and are currently being treated for any possible ailments caused by the gunk," Fawna, the fairy in charge of the Animal Squad, reported. "However, because we can't break through the gunk, our efforts to evacuate the cute little _water_ critters have been…what was the word you used, Rosetta?"

"'Stagnated,'" Rosetta, the fairy in charge of the Flora Squad, sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"Right," Fawna nodded before continuing her report. "Our efforts to evacuate the cute little water critters have been _stagnated_ in the parts of the lake already covered by the gunk."

"Okay," Fairy Mary sighed. She turned to the next fairy in line. "Water Squad, report!"

"We've managed to stop the gunk from proceeding any further than it already has," Silvermist, the fairy in charge of the Water Squad, explained. "However, we've been unable to figure out how to clean up the section of the lake that has already been contaminated."

"Flora Squad, report!"

"We're in a similar situation as Water Squad," Rosetta replied. "We've managed to stop the gunk from infecting any more plants than it already has, but we've been unable to cleanse the ones that have already been infected."

"Wind Squad, report!"

"We've been transporting pixie dust from Pixie Hollow with the assistance of several owl carriers provided by the animal fairies so that the other squads can continue working 24/7," Vida, the fairy in charge of the Wind Squad, said. "However, Terrance says that the amount of pixie dust being used here is twice his original estimates, so we're having double our efforts to provide enough pixie dust to the initiative."

"Light Squad, report!"

"We've been working with several water fairies that we enlisted with Silvermist's permission to search the parts of the Enchanted Lake that have already been covered by the gunk," Iridessa, who was in charge of the Light Squad, reported. "However, our efforts to find out more about the gunk have mostly been unsuccessful."

"Why is that?" Fairy Mary asked.

"Whatever dark magic is in the gunk is interfering with our illumination spells," Iridessa explained. "I'm telling you, Fairy Mary, I've never seen anything like this."

"Thank you for that assessment, Iridessa," Fairy Mary replied. "Now, lastly…Tinker Squad, report!"

There was a few awkward moments of silence, at which point they realized that the fairy in charge of Tinker Squad was missing. "Where's Tinkerbell?" Fairy Mary asked.

"Knowing our dear Tink, she probably found some interesting knickknack," Rosetta sighed. "Remember how excited she got over the picnic that we found when we first got here?"

"Well, she _did_ manage to turn it into a base of operations for us to use while we're here," Silvermist reminded them as she gestured to the turned-over picnic basket that they were currently under. Several fairy-sized holes had been cut into the sides of the basket so that fairies could enter and exit the "base of operations" as needed.

"I still don't get why we even brought Tinkerbell with us, anyway," Vida said.

"Vida!" The other squad leaders gasped in horror.

"Seriously, guys, Tinkerbell's tinker magic just isn't that useful in this situation," Vida said. "If anything, she's just using up extra pixie dust that my squad has to carry."

"Queen Clarion specifically requested that Tinkerbell be placed on this assignment," Fairy Mary said. "Quite frankly, I'm just as baffled as you, Vida, but who knows? With her creativity and ingenuity, maybe she'll find a way to fix this mess."

As if on cue, a green blur flew into the base at high speed. "Fairy Mary, Fairy Mary, come quick!" Tinkerbell said quickly as she skidded to a stop in front of the older fairy she had scared witless.

"What is it, Tink?" Fawna asked.

"I found something!" Tinkerbell replied excitedly as she tugged on Fairy Mary's arm.

"Tinkerbell, I've told you before," Fairy Mary said. "You don't need to show me every lost thing you find."

"But this _isn't_ a lost thing!" Tinkerbell said. "I mean, it is a lost thing–my tinker sense led me to it–but it's not like any lost thing I've ever seen!"

"Tinker sense?" Vida repeated. "What the heck is a 'tinker sense?'"

"A tinker fairy's ability to find lost things, like the stuff that washes up on the shores of Neverland," Fairy Mary answered quickly before turning back to Tinkerbell. "Tinkerbell, you know I like an interesting lost thing as much as the next tinker fairy, but right now I need to focus on coordinating efforts to save the Enchanted Lake."

"But–" Tinkerbell protested.

"No 'buts,'" Fairy Mary interrupted her. "Unless it's something that could help in our efforts to save the Enchanted Lake, I don't want to hear about it at the moment."

"…Fine," Tinkerbell pouted dejectedly as she fluttered out of the base.

* * *

~~~~Enchanted Lakeside~~~~

"The minions are in position, Lord Pixie Dust Pillager," one of the minions–who had been designated as Pixie Dust Pillager's "first mate"–reported. "We are ready to ambush the fairies at your command."

"How many times do I have to tell ye, ye scalawag?" the Pixie Dust Pillager growled. "If ye're going to be me first matey, ye have to talk like an honest to badness buccaneer." (A/N: since "Pixie Dust Pillager" is such a pain to write over and over, it will from now on be abbreviated as "PDP")

"Er…just one moment," the first mate said as he pulled out a copy of "Pirate Talk for Idiot Minions" and opened it up. "Um…aye, captain!"

"That be a good start," PDP nodded. "Now, repeat ye last report, but this time, talk like a real buccaneer."

The first mate groaned as he frantically flipped through his book to find the appropriate phrases. "Uh…all the hatches be battened down and…the crew be ready to grab the booty?"

"Yo ho ho! That be more like it!" PDP commented approvingly. "Now, give the men the order to attack immediately!"

"Aye, captain!" The first mate replied as he sent the order for the minions to attack.

* * *

~~~~Enchanted Lake~~~~

The fairies from Pixie Hollow were fluttering back and forth across the Enchanted Lake, trying their best to undo the enviro-magical catastrophe being caused by the mysterious gunk. They were so focused on their tasks that they didn't notice the rustling of leaves from the foliage lining the lakeside.

Therefore, it was a huge shock for the Never-fairies when a bunch of pirate-dressed goblins armed with battle axes and butterfly nets jumped out from behind the trees and bushes.

"Ahh! Run away!" One of the water fairies screamed as the fairies all began to scatter and flee from their attackers. Due to the element of surprise and the massive size difference, however, many were unable to escape and were quickly caught in a fairy's kryptonite–butterfly nets.

"Argh!" The PDP growled approvingly as he stepped out from behind the bushes after his men had gathered up most of the fairies. "This be a good first haul, ye scalawags! Now it be time to harvest me ill-begotten booty in me chest!"

"W-what are you going to do to us?" One of the captured fairies asked fearfully.

"Oh, don't be scared, little lassie," the PDP said in mock-assurance as he raised his pirate-hook right hand and slipped it into the butterfly net that held the fairy who had spoken. "All I be doing is taking ye fairy magic!"

With that, the PDP stuck the tip of his hook straight through the screaming fairy. Instead of being killed, however, her entire body was turned into pixie dust which melded together into a golden sphere about the size of the PDP's fist. The PDP then pulled the sphere out of the net and opened up the treasure chest in his chest, where he stowed it for safekeeping.

"Yo-ho-ho!" The PDP said cheerfully, having gotten his first taste of fairy magic in over 1,000 years. "That hit the spot! Bring me the next little pixie, ye scalawags!"

"Not so fast!" A female voice shouted. The PDP and his minions turned in the direction of the voice and saw two adolescent females standing on the lakeside.

"Argh!" The PDP growled. "Who be these lassies that be interrupting me plundering?"

"Looks like you were right, Mal," Lonnie said. "The Evil Queen's next monster attack came sooner rather than later."

"Then it's a good thing we're here to stop it," Mal replied as she raised her Purple Mythicore over her head. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Lonnie nodded as she raised her Yellow Mythicore.

 **"Mythos…Descendium!"** Mal and Lonnie called out as they raised their other hands and tapped the crystals embedded into their Mythicores.

(A/N: The following bit are Mal and Lonnie's morphing sequences. I've decided to write out the morphing sequences of each Ranger so that my avid readers can get an idea of what they look like. I'm going to write out the morphing sequence for each Mythic Ranger once, and then every time the Rangers morph in the future, I'll make a note to refer back to the first morphing sequence.)

 _Mal's Morphing Sequence_

Mal swung her now-glowing Mythicore as she spun around in place, thus bathing her body from the neck down in a purple light. The spectral apparition of a purple dragon then erupted from her Mythicore and flew over her head. The dragon then descended back towards Mal and crashed into her, creating an explosion of white and purple light. The light faded after a moment, revealing Mal in her Ranger suit from her neck down. The dragon's head then floated up to her eye-level and faced its Ranger, before bursting into a flurry of purple, white, and silver sparkles that surrounded Mal's head and formed her dragon-themed helmet. Now in her full Ranger form, the Purple Mythic Ranger made a heroic pose.

 _End of Mal's Morphing Sequence_

 _Lonnie's Morphing Sequence_

Lonnie swung her now-glowing Mythicore as she spun around in place, thus bathing her body from the neck down in a yellow light. The spectral apparition of a yellow phoenix then erupted from her Mythicore and flew over her head. The phoenix then descended back towards Lonnie and crashed into her, creating an explosion of white and yellow light. The light faded after a moment, revealing Lonnie in her Ranger suit from her neck down. The phoenix's head then floated up to her eye-level and faced its Ranger, before bursting into a flurry of yellow, white, and silver sparkles that surrounded Lonnie's head and formed her phoenix-themed helmet. Now in her full Ranger form, the Yellow Mythic Ranger made a heroic pose.

 _End of Lonnie's Morphing Sequence_

 **"Dragon of Magic: Purple Mythic Ranger!"** Mal called out as the crystal in her Mythicore and the various identical crystals embedded into her belt and the sides of her helmet flashed and the spectral image of the purple Dragonzord appeared, then just as quickly disappeared in a flash of purple light.

 **"Phoenix of Sun: Yellow Mythic Ranger!"** Lonnie followed up, the crystals in her suit flashing as well, her own yellow Phoenixzord briefly appearing behind her in a flash of yellow light.

"Argh!" The PDP growled. "Minions, attack!"

"Aye aye, captain!" The 20 minions replied as they charged across the gunky surface of the Enchanted Lake (which was solid enough for even them to walk on) towards the two Rangers.

 **"Armiocomus!"** Mal called out as she and Lonnie ran into battle, summoning her Dragon Baton and activating its Staff Mode they did so. "Dragon Baton: Staff Mode!"

Mal started off by jabbing one end of her staff into the minion immediately in front of her, releasing a powerful jolt of magical energy through its body and sending it flying back into the minion behind it. As two more minions came at her from the 1 o'clock and 11 o'clock directions, the Purple Ranger swung her staff in a wide arc in front of her, disarming both minions. She then followed up with a leap into the air and an enhanced kick to each of their heads, leaving both minions with a serious migraine as the sound of Mal's foot connecting with their helmets rang through their heads. Stepping over the unconscious forms of her fallen opponents, Mal continued onto the next set of minions.

At the same time, Lonnie was fighting her own group of enemies. As they were fighting in an enclosed space which did not lend itself well to ranged weapons, she had already decided not to summon her Phoenix Bow and to just stick with hand-to-hand combat. With that in mind, Lonnie leaped into the air and landed a roundhouse kick on the side of her first enemy's head, sending flying to the right and crashing into the rocky beach that sat next to the Enchanted Lake. Gracefully landing on the ground, the Yellow Ranger then drop-kicked two more minions as they came at her from either side. From her crouched position, she then delivered a vertical kick straight into the next minion's chin, before following up with another kick straight into the minion's stomach.

 _What I wouldn't give for to have a short-ranged weapon right now,_ Lonnie thought as she dodged a clumsily-executed slash that a minion attempted with its cutlass. Being a martial arts experts, the daughter of Mulan could easily tell that these guys had just been given their new swords and had not yet learned how to use them. While this meant that she didn't have to worry about any swordplay, the minions' clumsiness and lack of control over their new weapons actually made them very dangerous.

Meanwhile, Mal had already finished her way through all of the minions she had to deal with and was now facing the PDP. "So, you've got a name?" Mal asked as she held her staff in preparation to attack.

"Ye might call me the Pixie Dust Pillager!" The PDP introduced himself. "Of course, ye once knew me as a little, blond-haired guppy before me godfather brought me to the Evil Queen to become the creature ye see now."

Underneath her helmet, Mal's eyes widened in realization. "Sammy Smee?" She asked incredulously. "Is that you?"

"Argh! That be correct, ye lil' lass of a fairy," the PDP confirmed as he drew his cutlass. "Now, I be taking your booty and making it me own."

"Sorry, but I already have a boyfriend," Mal quipped as she ran forward and swung her staff, creating a flurry of sparks as it clashed with the PDP's blade. The sword now occupied, Mal tried to slip the other end of her staff under the PDP's feet in order to trip him, but the PDP had anticipated that and caught it with its pirate hook. Catching the young half-fairy off guard, the PDP ripped the Dragon Baton out of her hands and threw it to the side.

"Take this, lass!" The PDP said as he slashed Mal across the chest. Her suit protected her from getting cut in half, however the force of the impact still sent her crashing into the rock face on the side of the lake.

"Now, I'll take ye loot, Purple Ranger!" The PDP said as he tore through Mal with his hook.

"AHHHH!" Mal screamed in pain as the pirate-themed monster ripped out a glowing, purple silhouette of her from her body. Once the silhouette was completely separated from her body, Mal fell to the ground as her Ranger suit vanished in a flash of white light and she fell out of her morph.

"Yo-ho-ho, what a prize!" The PDP said as he compressed the purple silhouette he had taken was compressed into a solid, purple sphere the size of a basketball and put it in his "treasure chest" chest. "The magic of the Purple Ranger–it all be mine!"

"Ugh…" Mal groaned as she sat herself up. "Give me back my magic, you scurvy bastard!"

"I be thinking…not, lil' lassie," PDP replied as he raised his cutlass. "But I wouldn't be worrying too much about me magic, if I were ye. After all, ye won't be having a need for it in Davy Jones' Locker!"

"Get away from my girlfriend, pirate head!" Ben said as the Red Ranger suddenly leaped out of the bushes and struck the PDP with his Griffin Sword, sending the pirate-themed monster stumbling back. Meanwhile, the Blue and Pink Rangers were leaping into action over where Lonnie was being ganged up on by the minions and helping her out.

"Ben?" Mal said weakly as she looked up at her boyfriend in shock. "But how…?"

"Apparently, there's some kind of alert spell woven into our Mythicores that activates as soon as one of us morphs," Ben explained as he helped his girlfriend to her feet. "Our Mythicores started glowing as soon as you and Lonnie engaged these minions, at which point we rushed here as fast as we could. But enough about me, what about you? Are you alright?"

"Honestly? Not really," Mal replied as she started to move away from Ben and tried to stand on her own, only to stumble as soon as he was no longer supporting her. "That monster…I think he stole my fairy magic somehow."

"That be exactly what I did," the PDP said as he got back to his feet. "Ye fairy magic would now be belonging to me, ye scurvy mutt, and I never be giving it back!"

"Oh, I think you'll be giving it back, alright!" Ben growled as he waved his Griffin Sword menacingly. "Nobody steals my girlfriend's magic and gets away with it!"

"And what makes ye think that I'll just give such a bountiful booty back?" The PDP challenged as he waved his hook in the air. "With the magic of such a powerful fairy in me possession, me powers now be much greater than they were before. Now, I'll be taking the magic of every fairy that still be around!"

"No!" Mal gasped. She watched helplessly as every fairy that was still trapped in a butterfly net or bird cage was turned into small, golden spheres of pixie dust, which then flew into the PDP's open "treasure chest" chest and "swallowed" whole.

"Ah!" The Pink Ranger cringed as she felt an invisible force tug at her magic. Recognizing that the force was trying to rip her magic out of her, Jane immediately began fighting back against the force that was trying to steal her power, just as her mother had taught her to do when she was little. Fortunately, the PDP's plundering spell had been cast over such a wide area that its strength had been spread out too thinly to absorb the magic of a human-sized fairy who was also a Power Ranger.

Realizing this, the PDP canceled the spell. "Ah, well, I was hoping to plunder the booty of both fairy Rangers, but I be guessing that one Ranger lass and a boatload of Never-fairies will be enough for now," the pirate-themed monster shrugged and gathered up his men. "Minions, retreat!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Ben roared as he charged forward with his Griffin Sword held high. Before he could reach the monster who had stolen his girlfriend's magic, however, the PDP and his forces vanished in an evil-green light.

"Get back here, you monster!" Ben demanded furiously. "When I get my hands on you, I'll–"

"Ben, calm down," Triton said as he walked up to the Red Ranger. "The monster and the minions are probably long gone by now. Shouting at someone that isn't even here isn't going to do any good."

"I'm going after that thing, Triton, and nothing's going to stop me," Ben declared, his mind still clouded by anger.

"Do you have any idea where they went?" Triton asked. Ben's silence was answer enough. "I didn't think so. Don't get me wrong, I want to defeat that monster just as much as you do, but we can't do that if we just wander around, searching blindly for it. Our best hope is to go back to Auradon Prep and have the Fairy Godmother find it using her magic."

"But I–" Ben protested.

"And besides," Triton continued. "We need to take Mal back anyway so that she can get medical attention."

"I…I'm fine, Triton," Mal said weakly, still bracing herself against her boyfriend. "D…don't…w-worry about me…"

Ben put his gloved hand under Mal's chin and gently lifted her head up so that he could see her face. Her skin looked even paler than usual (if that was even possible), and there were dark circles under her eyes, making her look like she hadn't slept in days. Her green eyes looked dim and lifeless–and was it just Ben's imagination, or was her purple hair gradually turning gray?

"No, Mal, we need to get you to a doctor," Ben said, his concern for his girlfriend instantly taking the place of his hatred for the monster that had done this to her. "Triton's right."

"No…" Mal protested as she shakily moved away from Ben in order to prove that she was alright. "I…I'll manage, Benny-b…"

Mal was cut off as her legs gave out from under her and she fell to the ground. Her vision was becoming dark and blurry as she began to lose awareness of her surroundings. The last thing she heard before passing out completely was the sound of Ben calling out her name…and then she knew no more.

 _ **To Be Continued…**_

A/N: Cliffhanger! Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, but I had a busy Christmas break and now I'm back at college with a tough semester ahead of me. I wanted to fit the entire episode into a single chapter, but then I realized how long it already was and decided to make it two-part. Once I finish the second part, I'll post it, but after that, don't be expecting me to post any more chapters until May.


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